Safe From Harm
by kendra151
Summary: Mia finds herself in unexpected danger.  Who will be the one to save her?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Mia held her breath as she waited to see what the decision would be. This had gone on for too long. It was time to put an end to this madness.

"Cena, you are officially rehired."

Mia sank into a chair, exhaling loudly. Thank goodness! John was back. Her relief was short-lived, however, as all members of the Nexus suddenly jumped him in the ring. She watched in horror as Wade Barrett struck him across the back with a chair, then shook her head as she turned away from the monitor. Why was this still going on? It just wasn't fair.

Later, she made her way to the trainer's room, where John was being examined. She walked in just in time to see him grimace as the trainer prodded the back of his head.

"Will he live?" she asked, frowning at him as she crossed her arms across her chest.

John responded with an overly cheerful thumbs up.

"For now. Hold still!" the trainer quipped, prodding him again. "This is getting to be a regular occurrence. I'm starting to be concerned about permanent brain damage, you know."

"Already there." Mia replied with a grin. John sighed.

"This is really starting to get out of control, John. When does it end?" Mia continued. "I'm really starting to worry about you."

"It ends when I've beaten every member of Nexus, including Wade Barrett. It ends when I destroy them one by one."

Mia shook her head. "This has to stop John. Before someone gets seriously hurt."

"Are we done here?" he asked the trainer, before grabbing his shirt and heading toward the door. "See you later, Mia. And don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Mia watched him stalk off, then grabbed her bags and headed toward the parking lot, her mind wandering as she walked. She was truly worried about John. This 'feud' with the Nexus was really starting to take its toll on him. Over the past few weeks, his whole demeanor had changed. She knew he had good reason to be upset. But still, she didn't like the direction that things seemed to be taking.

Always upbeat, they had become fast friends when she first joined the WWE. He was always the first one there to offer her advice, help her with her workouts or come up with new ideas for her to try in the ring. Occasionally, they traveled together, but Mia had placed strict limits on that from the beginning. She knew how the rumor mill was and she didn't want any unsavory gossip getting back to John's wife. Not when it would put even more unnecessary stress on him.

But now? Now he was frequently short tempered, withdrawn, just a shell of his former self. He seemed so...broken. And it was all due to Barrett and his gang of thugs. The constant harassment, the beatings, the threats. It seemed like it was just getting to be too much for John to handle on his own. Mia hoped that Barrett would soon grow bored with his games and move on to someone else. She just hoped that things would reach their inevitable conclusion before someone got seriously hurt.

Passing one of the referees in the hall, Mia stopped him. "Did you see John come through here just a few minutes ago?"

"Yeah" he replied, pointing in the general direction of the parking lot. "I think he was headed out back, toward the semis. I think he may have parked out there earlier."

"Ok. Thanks." Mia tossed up her hand as she turned away. Hopefully, she could catch him before he left. She hurried in the direction the referee had pointed.

"Hey Mia! Wait up!"

Startled from her thoughts, Mia looked behind her to see her friend and fellow diva, Kelly, heading her way.

"I was looking for John. Have you seen him?" the blonde asked, as she stopped in front of her. "I found some paperwork he left back there on one of the trunks. I think it's from the head office. I thought it might be important."

"No, I was just looking for him myself." Mia answered, reaching out to take the documents from Kelly. "Someone said they thought they saw him headed out back toward the trucks. I'll see if I can't catch him and give it to him."

"Thanks. I won't keep you." Kelly stated, waving as Mia turned and walked away.

Glancing down at the documents as she headed toward the back parking lot, Mia shook her head. John was an amazing person. So energetic. So passionate about everything he did. He was an action guy, a go-getter. In everything he did, he always gave his all. Everything, that is, except paperwork. The mundane details of the business bored him to tears. He had neither the patience nor the attention span to deal with it. While he offered her professional advice and in-ring guidance, Mia often times found herself reading documents or advising him on contract negotiations, usually at the last minute possible. She had tried and tried to find a system that would work for him, to no avail and she'd finally resigned herself to the idea that she would likely be his own personal secretary for most of the foreseeable future. Although it really wasn't such a bad price to pay for such a dear friend, she supposed.

Walking through the corridors, saying "hello" to a few co-workers as she passed by, Mia made her way to the back parking lot, pausing in the large open doorway as she glanced outside. Night had fallen several hours earlier and the sparse lighting provided by two meager street lamps did very little to illuminate the large slab of pavement along the back of the building.

"John? John, are you back here?" she called, glancing from side to side. There were a couple of cars parked across the lot from where she stood and she studied them carefully, but nobody appeared to be inside either one of them.

Movement in the shadows off to her right caught her attention, and she turned in time to see something pass around the front of one of the big rigs parked beside the building, moving away from her. She hesitated briefly, then dropped her bag on the ground, stuffing John's paperwork into a side pocket. Stepping out into the night, she headed in the direction of the truck.

"John? If you're trying to avoid me, you blew it. I already saw you!" she yelled, frowning.

"John?" she called again, when there was no response. "I told you, you're already busted. Come out, come out where ever you are."

Reaching the front of the truck, she jumped when a large black cat sprinted from under the vehicle toward the grassy lot on the other side of the pavement.

"Stupid cat! Geez!" she murmured, her hand on her chest as she tried to still the frantic beating of her heart. She leaned forward and peeked cautiously around the front of the truck, searching for the man she knew was there.

The sound of screeching tires behind her made her stop. Turning partially in her tracks, she froze in place as two bright beams of light washed over her. As the car bore down on her, her mind screamed for her to run, her feet refusing to listen to the command. Later, she would relive what happened next over and over in her mind, remembering details that seemed to stretch out over minutes, but in reality only lasted seconds. She recalled the sound of the car engine, the brightness of the lights. Someone shouted something, she couldn't make out what. Then she felt herself being pushed...hard. Her first thought was that it was the car, knocking her off of her feet, running her down. Then she felt the hardness of the concrete beneath her. Felt the sharp stab of pain as her elbow struck the unforgiving pavement. Felt the breeze from the car as it flew past her and into the night.

She lay motionless, stunned, knowing she had been hit, waiting for the pain she knew would come. Then she became aware that someone was with her. And whoever it was, they held her in a very strong grip. Confused, she attempted to struggle to her feet, the pain in her elbow flaring as she tried to raise herself off the ground. Then she felt herself being pushed back against the cold concrete.

"Lay still." a deep voice growled. "Are you hurt?"

Mia froze, her breath faltering. She would know that voice anywhere. There was no doubt. His accent gave him away. It was the cocky Englishman himself, Wade Barrett. The faint light from the street lamps was just enough for her to make out the yellow lettering on his t-shirt.

"I'm fine." she stammered, regaining her composure as she tried to get up again. "Let me go."

"Be still." he growled, pushing her down a second time. "Did you hit your head? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." she repeated, finally meeting his gaze. "What...what just happened? Who was that?"

"I don't know." he replied. "I couldn't see who was driving."

A commotion from across the lot caught Mia's attention and she suddenly found herself surrounded by paramedics, referees, and a slew of other people that she didn't even recognize. All of them fussing and fawning over her, asking the same questions...Are you ok? Are you alright? Are you hurt?

Mia shook her head slowly as they helped her to her feet, wincing at the pain that flared in her elbow. She grabbed her arm and held it close to her protectively.

"Better get that checked out" one of the refs said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's get you to the trainers."

Mia nodded, then paused for a moment to look around. Somehow, in all of the commotion, Wade had disappeared. Shaking her head in confusion, she scanned the crowd, searching for him for a moment longer. Then the ache in her arm won out and she reluctantly gave herself over to the pack of concerned coworkers around her, following them as they jostled her back inside the building.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The following Monday before Raw:

Warming up, Mia stretched her arms above her head, feeling the faint tug of pain in her elbow. A severe bruise - that was the only injury she had sustained in her close brush with death. She didn't need anyone to tell her she had been lucky. Very lucky.

It was only after the panic last week had subsided that she was able to piece together what had happened. Witnesses told her that whoever had attempted to run her down had meant business. There were no skid marks...the driver hadn't even touched his brakes. No one knew where he had come from, but somehow Wade had gotten to her and knocked her out of the way of the car, putting himself in danger of being struck. Mia frowned as the thought crossed her mind again. Selflessness was so out of character for him. She just didn't know what to make of it.

Grabbing her bottle of water and her jacket, she headed down the hallway, toward the catering area. As she turned the corner, she spotted Wade further down the hall, walking in her direction. Hesitating, Mia glanced about her, wondering what she should do. Continue toward him? Or take a detour? She considered ducking into a small alcove just a few steps ahead of her, but it was too late. Wade had already seen her. He approached her with a familiar, cocky swagger, then stopped in front of her.

"How's your arm?" he asked, nodding toward her bandaged elbow.

"It's a little sore. But otherwise it's fine." Mia replied, scanning his face for any sign of emotion. His voice sounded cold, distant. He did not smile.

"Look, I didn't get a chance last week...but I just wanted to thank you for what you did. You probably saved my life. And you put yourself in danger too. I just want you to know that I appreciate it." she stated, trying to remain as emotionless as he was.

Wade tilted his head in a nod.

"You're welcome" he replied. Mia saw his posture stiffen suddenly as he glanced past her. Turning her head, she saw John heading straight for them.

"John. I was just telling..."

"Mia" he replied, cutting her off, his gaze traveling from her to Wade and back to her again. "I think Kelly was looking for you. You might want to go see what she wanted."

His eyes locked on Wade. Mia cautiously took a step back, glancing first at Wade, then back to John.

"Oh, ok. I'll see you later then." she replied hesitantly. Turning her attention back to Wade, she gave a faint smile. "Thank you again."

"No problem." Wade replied, watching as Mia glanced toward John one last time before walking away. Then his eyes drifted back to the man glowering in front of him. Seconds passed as they stared each other down. Then slowly, John extended his arm.

Wade narrowed his gaze, eyeing the outstretched hand.

"I just wanted to say thanks for what you did last week." John stated, his stance unwavering. "I know we haven't seen eye to eye in the past, but I'm man enough to acknowledge a good deed when its done. Thank you."

Moments passed. Reluctantly, Wade firmly gripped the hand extended in front of him. Tilting his head in acknowledgement, John pumped his arm, giving the taller man's hand a couple of strong shakes. Unimpressed, Wade turned as if to walk away, but the grip on his hand tightened, pulling him back. He glared down at John as the shorter man stepped closer.

"She's a good friend and I don't want to see her get hurt. Leave her out of this. Stay away from her. If anything happens to her, I swear I will hold you personally responsible." John growled, leaning in toward the other man.

Ripping his hand free, Wade continued to silently stare him down, his lip turning upward into an arrogant smirk before he finally turned and sauntered off.

John watched him disappear around the corner, his fists flexing at his sides. Something about this whole scenario bothered him, in more ways than one. Despite his show of gratitude, he didn't trust the guy, not even the tiniest little bit. He was up to something. Of that much he was certain. And he had a dreadful, sinking feeling that whatever it was, it wasn't anywhere close to being over.

**xxxxxx**

"You want to tell me what that was all about?" John asked a few minutes later, after he'd tracked Mia down again.

She sighed, as she laced up her boots. "It was nothing John. I was just thanking him for last week. He did save my life you know."

John scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"What is your deal? Would you have preferred that he had just let me die?" Mia snapped, as she placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Would that have made you feel better?"

"No, of course not! "John sighed, running his hand over his head in frustration. "It's just...you know how I feel about the guy. He's bad news. I mean, you've seen what I've gone through the past few weeks. I don't want to give him any ideas...about how else he can get to me. I don't want to see any of my friends get dragged into this mess with me. I don't want to see anybody get hurt."

"And how do you think he's going to hurt me John? Shove me in front of a car? I mean if he had wanted to use me to get to you, he could have just let that car run me down." Mia was in his face now, her anger getting the best of her. "He risked his life to save me! And you act like you would rather see me hurt or dead than be saved by him!"

"That's not true Mia and you know it." John sighed again, taking a seat in a nearby chair. "And have you stopped to think about how convenient all of this is anyway? Are we really even sure that it was an accident? I mean, what perfect timing...you're in danger of being injured...you...one of my closest friends. And who just happens to be the nearest person to help you out? I mean we still don't know who was driving that car. It could have been one of his Nexus thugs for all we know..."

"Are you kidding me? You seriously think he planned this? If that was true, why would he have taken the perfect opportunity to hurt me...hurt you... and then save me instead? It doesn't make sense John!"

"I don't know for sure if he planned it or not but...something about this just feels...strange. Please Mia. Just...be careful. Stay away from him. Stay out of his sight. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I understand your concerns John." she frowned. "I know what kind of person he is. And I'm perfectly aware of what he is capable of doing. I've seen that first hand. But really, it was a simple thank you. Nothing more. It's certainly not going to hurt anything."

Grabbing her jacket, Mia stormed out of the room without giving John a chance to reply.

Glancing toward the empty doorway where she'd just disappeared, John shook his head.

"I'm not so sure Mia." he whispered to the empty room. "I'm just not so sure..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"So, how have you been holding up since the accident?" Kelly asked, looking across the table at Mia. They were seated in the catering area, eating dinner before Raw. "I can't imagine how scary that must have been."

Mia shrugged and picked at the food on her plate. It had been three weeks since the incident and she still found herself reliving the events of that night, trying to pick them apart, seeking the answers that continued to elude her. As much as she hated to admit it, John's accusations had taken up root in her mind. She felt guilty for even contemplating such an idea. Wade had saved her after all. But John was right. Things just didn't add up. Not to mention the fact that Wade himself had been M.I.A. since she'd last talked to him at Raw two weeks ago. His mysterious disappearance did not help to sway her opinion in his favor.

"I'm ok." she finally replied, looking up. "My arm feels better now. I've just been feeling a little tired. I guess I really haven't been sleeping well."

It wasn't a lie. She hadn't been sleeping much at all. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Wade glaring at her, the way he had that night. It had only lasted a minute, but the intensity that she had seen in his eyes stirred something deep inside of her. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't shake the image from her mind.

"You were really lucky that Wade was close by. It could have been really bad." Kelly stated as she picked up her bottle of water and took a drink.

"Yeah, I guess so..." Mia looked back down at her plate and resumed picking at her food.

Kelly frowned. "Is something wrong?"

The other woman sighed. "John...was not happy that he was there."

"I don't understand. He's upset because Wade helped you?" Kelly asked, obviously confused.

"He thinks...that it wasn't an accident. That it was planned. And he thinks Wade was involved in it somehow."

Kelly stared at her. "Really? I mean, I know those two don't get along..."

Mia snickered. "That's an understatement.."

"...but that's a pretty serious accusation." Kelly continued. "Do you think its possible?"

Mia laid her fork in her plate and stared across the table at her friend.

"I don't know what to think. I don't want to believe it. But honestly, I'm not so sure. I just don't know." she replied.

Kelly reached across the table and squeezed Mia's hand.

"Well, speak of the devil..." she said with a smile, as she looked past Mia. Mia turned slightly, just in time to see John stop beside them.

Kelly winked at her and smiled. "Well, I gotta run. I've got a couple of things to take care of before the show. See you two later." she stated before grabbing up her trash and walking away.

John took a seat in Kelly's empty chair.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked, glancing in the direction that Kelly had departed.

"No, we were just talking." Mia replied as he sat down. They'd made up since their big argument a couple of weeks earlier, although there was some tension still lingering between them. He hadn't brought the issue with Wade up to her again, but she doubted that he had let it go either. She knew he was merely keeping his opinion to himself, in an effort to keep the peace.

John turned back to her, his eyebrow raised. "Talking? About me?"

Mia grinned. "Not likely."

"Well, anyway. I have something I want to show you." He laid a large manila envelope on the table and slid it across to her.

She picked it up and turned it over to open it. "What is it?"

"It's a script for my new movie. I wanted you to read it over to see what you think."

"Another movie? Boy, you're really on a roll." she replied, as she pulled the document out of the envelope.

John watched her as she skimmed over the first few pages.

"This is good." Mia said finally, as she glanced back up at him. "It sounds really interesting."

"You really think so? I mean, it is a lot of different from the other movies I've done" he replied.

"Sure. It is different. I mean you really haven't done any comedy before, but I think it could work. It may take some time to get it just right, but I think you'll do fine."

"Let's just hope it does better than the last one." he chuckled. Mia smiled as she glanced back down at the document and flipped through the pages again.

"Maybe you'll turn into the next Adam Sandler." she laughed. "Do you have any idea who your co-stars will be yet?"

John offered no response and when she gazed back up at him, Mia noticed that he was staring off into space behind her.

"John? Hey!" She waved her hand in front of him to get his attention, watching as his eyes traveled back to her, his face tense.

"John? Are you ok?" Mia asked. "What's so interesting back there anyway..."

She glanced over her shoulder in the direction John had been staring, her voice trailing off when she saw what had undoubtedly disturbed him. Wade was standing across the room, glaring at them. No, not at them. At her.

She didn't know why that thought occurred to her but she knew instantly it was true. It was the same look that haunted her every night when she closed her eyes.

He was propped up against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel stood with him, their backs turned slightly toward where she was sitting. They were immersed in conversation, but even so, Wade's eyes never wavered from her. He smirked, the action causing both of his companions to turn and look in her direction and Mia quickly shifted her gaze back to John, noticing that he still hadn't moved. His eyes fixed on the men behind her, she could see both of his hands clenched into tight fists, the veins in his arms straining from the effort. Then she saw his features relax slightly and she risked another glance behind her, her eyes coming to rest on an empty wall. A quick scan of the room revealed that Wade, Heath and Justin were all gone.

As she turned back to John for the second time, their eyes met across the table.

"Mia, I don't have a very good feeling about this" he stated quietly, his jaw still tense.

Mia felt a slight fluttering deep in her stomach as she tried to suppress the image of Wade's icy stare.

"Neither do I." she murmured, hoping her voice didn't betray the extent of her emotions.

The realization had only just come to her, at that very moment, of how bad this situation just might be...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

As she slid the key card through the slot, the click of the lock as it disengaged signified to Mia that she was home. Well, at least her home away from home. One of many that she endured every week. Stepping inside the hotel room, she closed the door and locked it behind her.

Flipping on the light, she surveyed the empty room with a sigh. It looked identical to the thousands she'd seen before it. Same old tired furniture, same bedspread, same curtains. Normally, she didn't give the decor much thought. But for some reason, tonight she was struck with a pang of loneliness at the sight of it all.

Tossing her suitcase up on the bed, she dug out a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom. She hoped that a nice long bath would help soothe her tired mind. Turning on the faucet, she stripped out of her clothes and sank into the hot water.

The past week had been hell. She'd endured two tv tapings, plus three more house shows and all of the traveling in between. After the incident with Wade before Raw, she'd spent most of her time looking over her shoulder, knowing at any moment she was going to see him standing there, staring her down again. She knew he'd been at every show, but she hadn't spotted him anywhere since Monday night. Yet, there was a constant air of uneasiness that surrounded her whenever she was at the arena, fueled by a mixture of anticipation and dread at the prospect of seeing him again.

Then there was John. The whole situation had him completely on edge and he had hovered over her so much both in and outside of the arena, he was about to drive her crazy. He escorted her to and from her car at every show, she hadn't eaten a meal alone in days and she was thoroughly surprised he hadn't refused to let her go the bathroom by herself. Even her patience with Kelly was growing thin. She knew they both had her best interests at heart, but she really needed a break . She'd feigned a headache just to avoid being forced into going out with them tonight after the show, hoping instead to get some much needed rest and relaxation.

As the warm water soothed away her aches, she closed her eyes, her thoughts lingering on the night of the accident, images of the dark-haired man once again invading her mind. She recalled the weight of his arm around her waist as he held her to the ground, the sound of his accented voice forcefully demanding to hear if she was okay, the genuine concern she thought she had seen in his face. Mia sighed. Time, and perhaps her own warped imagination, had likely skewed reality to what she thought she had felt, what she thought she had seen.

At times, she found it hard to believe Wade could be involved in the whole thing. But if he wasn't involved, then who was? And had she been a deliberate target, or just an innocent bystander?

She told herself she was just kidding herself by thinking he was concerned with her safety. The way he'd looked at her the last time she'd seen him made her feel like she had a huge red target on her back, and he was the executioner just waiting to deal the fatal blow. He was a dangerous man and she knew it. And the sooner she put this all behind her, the better off she would be. She sighed again, rubbing her forehead. The bath wasn't turning out to be as relaxing as she had hoped.

She soaked until the water turned cool, then washed off and got out of the tub. She dried off, and slipped into a comfortable pair of lounge pants and a small t-shirt. Walking back into the bedroom, she climbed onto the bed and clicked on the television, flipping through the channels. Occasionally, she paused on a station and watched the program for a few minutes, but she found that nothing could hold her attention for very long. She realized her eyes kept drifting to the clock on the bedside table. Time seemed to be moving at an agonizing pace.

Aggravated, she finally gave up and turned the tv off. She felt more wound up now then she had before her bath. Staring at the window for a moment, she got up and grabbed her iPod from her bag, snapped up her key card and headed for the door. Maybe some fresh air would help clear her mind.

Taking the elevator to the ground floor, she headed through the lobby toward another door on the side of the hotel. If she recalled correctly, there was a patio area off the side of the building, which she had seen on her way in. She only hoped that it would be deserted by this time of night.

Exiting the building, she smiled when she saw she had the entire area to herself. It was a nice, quiet space, closed in on three sides by rows of shrubbery, which helped to conceal the mass of iron fencing looming behind them. The space was simple and clean, although dimly lit, with a couple of pairs of tables and matching chairs mixed in among the several lounge chairs that were scattered throughout the area. Mia took a seat in one of the lounge chairs about halfway down the row and reclined back comfortably, then popped the headphones in her ears and turned the iPod on.

It was a warm night, with only the faintest breeze blowing occasionally across the darkened space. She stared up at the open sky above her, the stars visible in the clear night and she felt a pang of homesickness settle into her stomach. The sight made her think of the home where she had grown up in North Carolina. When she was little, she had spent many an evening camped out in the backyard with her father, stargazing and daydreaming and talking. Lots of talking. He'd taught her all of the constellations and shown her how to find them from any location. They'd followed the lights of the planes as they traveled across the night sky, making up stories about where they'd been or where they were headed too. And in between, he'd listened to her talk - about school, her friends, or later on, even boys. She missed those talks. And she missed him terribly. He'd been gone for over two years, now just another horrible cancer statistic, and yet, sometimes it felt like it had only happened just yesterday. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't think of him. What she wouldn't give to be able to talk to him now. She needed to hear that strong voice of reason and she certainly could have used some of his sound advice.

Closing her eyes, Mia tried to stop the flow of tears that she knew was coming. They always did whenever she thought of him. But despite her best efforts, they came anyway, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. Distracting herself, she forced herself to concentrate on the music instead, letting it block out the painful memories that were racing through her mind. Both physically and emotionally drained, it didn't take long for exhaustion to overtake her and soon she was fast asleep under the midnight sky.

**XXXXX**

Sometime later, Mia stirred slightly, rolling onto her side as she tried to find a more comfortable position. Still drowsy, she tried to dispel the remnants of the dream she'd been having, desperately wanting to go back to sleep. She couldn't remember what it had been about, but something about it had roused her from her blissful slumber. Relaxing, she was just about to drift off again when something jostled her on her shoulder.

"Mia? Wake up."

The sound of her name alongside the unsettling touch brought her fully awake. She opened her eyes, blinking slowly, and found with a mixture of horror and surprise that sitting across from her, not two feet away, was none other than Wade Barrett.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Mia blinked again, disbelief clouding her already foggy mind. She felt a knot of dread tighten in her stomach as she stared at the man across from her, her heart pounding in her chest.

She raised up on one arm warily as she studied Wade. The first thought that crossed her mind was why the hell was he there. The second thought was that he might not be alone. Glancing around, her eyes scanned the shadows, searching for other Nexus members who might be hidden nearby. The fact that there was no one else in sight did little to soothe her nerves.

"I really have to question your intelligence right about now."

The sound of his voice startled Mia into turning her gaze back to him, his accent sending a small shiver through her body. She cautiously sat up and scooted back in the lounge chair, hugging her knees against her chest. Her mind raced as she mentally tried to plot her escape, in the event it became necessary, but she kept coming up blank. There was only one way out of this place and right now there was a rather large man blocking her way. Her forehead furrowed in a frown.

"Excuse me?" she replied, finally acknowledging him.

He smirked and Mia felt her apprehension grow as he continued to glare at her. She'd seen that look plenty of times before and it usually meant he was up to no good.

"Sleeping outside. Alone. Vulnerable to the whims of ….whomever...might happen to come along." He paused for a second, letting the implication of his words sink in. "That seems to me to be either very brave. Or very stupid. Especially in light of recent events."

Mia felt the knot in her stomach tighten. She opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again. He was right. It was stupid. The thought had never crossed her mind that she might be putting herself in danger by being so exposed.

"So which is it? Brave or stupid?" he continued, prodding her.

"I...neither...I didn't mean to fall asleep." she stammered, feeling the heat of embarrassment rise in her cheeks. She felt like a child being chastised by a parent.

"Besides, why should I be worried?" she added after a moment. "The recent event, as you called it, was just a random accident. I don't see why I should be concerned with that now."

She was baiting him. If he was here, she might as well get some answers from him. Mia met his gaze, challenging him, but her sudden bravado quickly faded under the intensity of his stare.

"You sound like you're certain about that." he replied, evading the question.

"Why should I think otherwise?" she questioned accusingly "Unless you know something that I don't."

Wade smiled, a full one this time, his gaze dropping to his hands.

"I didn't say you should." he argued.

She gritted her teeth in frustration. He was deliberately avoiding answering her questions.

"Well you're the one who seems to have all the information. Why don't you tell me...just what should I think?" she challenged.

She watched the smile fade from his face. He raised his head, his eyes meeting hers again and Mia inhaled sharply at the emotion she saw there. There was anger. Frustration. And something else she couldn't quite name.

"What if I tell you what you should do instead?" The teasing tone was gone from his voice.

She tilted her head slightly and gave him a quizzical look.

"What are you talking about? If you have something to say, just say it. Stop being so damn cryptic!"

"Ok...how's this?" he growled. "How about you use that thick head of yours to think every once in a while, before you get yourself hurt! Or worse!"

Mia flinched as though he'd reached out and slapped her. Her surprise at his outburst quickly gave way to anger.

"Who do you think you are? To show up here out of the blue and think you can threaten me..."

"You think that was a threat?" he questioned, cutting her off.

"Well, what would you call it then?" Fuming, she sat up in her chair and narrowed her eyes at him.

"A warning."

"A warning?" Mia frowned in bewilderment. "About what? What on earth are you talking about?"

Wade opened his mouth as if to reply, then stopped himself. He shook his head and looked down at the ground.

Mia watched him, trying to figure out his sudden change in demeanor. She hesitated, then scoffed at him. He was just toying with her. She angrily swung her legs over the side of the chair, and stood up.

"You know, I get that you enjoy tormenting people...that you enjoy making others suffer to somehow make you feel better about yourself. But really, harassing me in order to get to John, that's really pathetic. You're a joke!"

Snatching her iPod up from the chair, she started past him toward the building when he suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm and spun her toward him. The heat from his hand on her bare arm caused her to gasp and his grip loosened slightly, as though he was concerned that he'd hurt her.

Mia suddenly found it very hard to think, her anger dissipating as he stood before her. She'd forgotten how tall he really was. Her eyes seemed to take on a mind of their own as they gazed over his broad chest, his strong arms. His shirt only accentuated the curve of the muscles, and she suddenly fought the urge to reach out and run her hand along the smooth skin, to trace her fingers along the ink of the tattoo that was partially exposed.

"Mia." His voice had changed. She willed her eyes to move back to his face, found it was suddenly harder to breath.

"This is not a joke. Be careful. Keep yourself safe."

He released her arm from his grip. Mia stared at him wordlessly. A million questions raced through her mind, but she didn't bother to ask any of them. She could tell by the look on his face that she wasn't going to get any more information out of him. She pried herself away from him and reluctantly began to head back toward the hotel. Even as she walked away, she could feel his eyes on her back, watching her as she disappeared inside the building. Somehow, she resisted the urge to throw one last glance over her shoulder toward him. She was afraid of what she might see if she did.

Back inside, she quickly crossed the lobby and headed toward the elevators. While she waited for the elevator, she rubbed the spot on her arm where he'd grabbed her, his words running over and over in her head. What had started out as a quest for information had turned into something much more than she'd bargained for. Hoping for answers, she was left with only more questions instead.

Outside, Wade watched her disappear through the doors, silently cursing himself for his stupidity. He should have kept his distance. He'd said more to her than he had intended, but he hoped that it hadn't been in vain. He prayed that she would heed his warning. He just hoped that his temporary moment of weakness hadn't done anything to put her in further danger.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Mia hurried down the hallway and stopped in front of the door to her hotel room, her eyes scanning the empty corridor as she slid the key card through the slot. She stepped inside and closed the door, leaning against it wearily as she surveyed the room. Nothing seemed out of place or missing. Her attention turned to the darkened bathroom across from her and she crept quietly up to the doorway, listening to any sound that might reveal an intruder on the other side. Hesitantly, she reached in and flipped on the light, bracing herself for the attack she knew was imminent. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found the room empty.

_Stop it Mia! He's just screwing with you! Don't let him get to you!_

"Damn you, Barrett!" she muttered under her breath as she stepped to the sink and splashed some cold water on her face. She imagined him watching her right now, having a good laugh at how gullible she was.

She walked back into the other room and sat on the bed as she checked her cell phone. She had 3 new text messages...2 from John...1 from Kelly and one new voice-mail from John. They were both concerned because they hadn't heard from her all evening. She sent a quick reply to each of them letting them know she was okay, then crawled under the covers. Turning off the light, she lay on her side, facing the door, her ears straining to identify every small noise that she heard. She groaned out loud. Why was she letting him do this to her?

Because she'd seem something. In his face. In his eyes. Just a hint of something that suggested he was actually being serious.

Along with her rampant imagination, her mind raced with unanswered questions. She had no idea what Wade was trying to warn her about or why he had seemed so angry with her. She wondered what else he might know that he hadn't revealed to her and if it was in any way related to the accident she'd had weeks earlier. And why had he gone out of his way to say anything to her to begin with? What motive might he have for speaking with her?

Mia sighed. This was the question she kept coming back to. She couldn't help but suspect that it had something to do with John. Wade could easily be setting her up for use as a pawn in one of his sick games. But then she recalled the way he had looked at her, remembered the seriousness of his tone. And her doubts began to surface once again.

Rolling over, she faced the curtained window as she rubbed the spot on her arm where Wade had grabbed her. She could almost still feel the heat from his touch, could still remember how it had felt to have him so close to her. For one brief moment, she'd felt unafraid, almost at ease with the idea of being alone with him.

_He's dangerous, _she warned herself again. _Don't forget that Mia._

No matter what she thought or what she felt, she knew she couldn't overlook such an undeniable fact. She would have to keep her guard up if she was going to watch out for herself. And until she had more information to go on, she simply couldn't let herself trust him at all.

**XXXXX**

Showered and dressed, Mia stepped back into the bedroom just in time to hear a knock at her door. Walking toward it, she grabbed the handle to open it, then hesitated, remembering Wade's warning. She took a quick glance through the peephole instead and saw John standing on the other side.

"Where have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you for the past hour" he asked as he strolled past her once she'd opened the door.

Mia picked up her phone, taking note of the missed text messages and phone calls.

"Sorry. I decided to sleep in this morning. I just got out of the shower a few minutes ago."

John turned and studied her, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. "You don't look so good. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a little tired." she offered, as she turned toward her suitcase and began packing her things.

"I thought you were going to try to get some rest last night. Did something happen?" he inquired, obviously concerned.

Mia hesitated.

"No. I just...I didn't sleep well. That's all." she lied, thankful that he couldn't see the expression on her face. She knew if he had any idea about what had transpired between Wade and herself the previous night, it would send him straight through the roof and the last thing she wanted was another obstacle standing in the way of her finding out what was really going on.

"Well, I was on my way to grab something to eat before we hit the road. Want to join me?" he asked, no trace of suspicion evident in his voice.

"Sounds good. Just let me finish packing first." Mia answered, breathing a little bit easier as he changed the subject.

Grabbing the rest of her things, she stuffed them into her suitcase, grateful that he hadn't questioned her further. She hated to lie to him, but she had no intention of mentioning anything about her encounter with Wade - to John or to anybody else - until her numerous questions were answered.

**XXXXX**

"So, what are we going to do with this one here?" John asked Kelly over breakfast, motioning toward Mia. They had bumped into Kelly on their way to the restaurant and invited her to join them.

"We have to get her out more. All she does is sit around and mope. We seriously need to get her a life." he continued.

Mia frowned at him. "I don't mope..."

Kelly laughed. "Hmmm...get her a life. Should we try to play matchmaker, you think?"

"Hey, there's a thought. You have any suggestions?" John replied, the grin on his face getting bigger.

"I know a couple of guys I could ask." Kelly replied.

"You'll do no such thing." Mia replied, glaring at the other woman. "And I'm sitting right here. Could you please not talk about me like I'm not even in the room."

John elbowed Kelly. "See what I mean. She mopes."

Mia rolled her eyes. "I don't mope."

John waved his hand in front of his face in a mock 'you can't see me' wave.

"If only I couldn't hear you..." Mia laughed, stabbing her fork into her eggs.

"Imagine how dull your life would be." he teased.

"Imagine how peaceful my life would be." she snapped.

"Alright you two. Quit your fighting and eat your breakfast. We have to hit the road soon. And I have a couple of phone calls to make." Kelly chimed in with a wink, laughing along with them.

They finished their meal quickly, the three of them bantering back and forth teasingly at Mia's expense. Just as they were preparing to leave, Mia glanced at John and noticed the distant look that had crossed his face. It was one that was becoming all too familiar to her. She stiffened in her chair, her mouth suddenly going dry. Risking a glance over her shoulder, she spotted Justin Gabriel, Health Slater and David Otunga taking a seat at a distant table. Quickly scanning the rest of the room, she noticed that Wade was nowhere in sight. She turned back toward John, her eyes meeting Kelly's briefly as she did so. She only hoped that Kelly wouldn't recognize the trace of disappointment that was surely visible in her expression.

"Girls, I think that's our cue to leave. If his thugs are here, you know the boss can't be too far behind. Let's go." John ordered, tensely.

Not wanting to cause a scene, Mia complied, joining Kelly as John escorted them both toward the door. As they approached the exit, Mia deliberately fell a couple of steps behind, taking a moment to steal one last glance around the room, willing John's words to be true. But there was still no sign of the larger man anywhere and her shoulders sagged as she reluctantly followed her companions out the door. Yet she refused to let her discouragement linger for long. She knew she'd see Wade again soon enough. And when she did, this time she was going to make sure she got some answers.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"So, I take it John is still a little uptight over this whole Wade thing?" Kelly asked Mia later that evening as they were backstage in the locker room preparing for their upcoming match at the night's pay-per-view program.

"Huh? What thing?" Mia replied distractedly. Kelly had been talking to her for a while, but she'd only been listening halfheartedly.

"The Wade thing. You know...the accident. I assume he still thinks Wade was involved?"

Mia shrugged. "Yeah. I guess. He really hasn't said much about that lately..."

"I just assumed with the way he acted this morning...at the restaurant...he didn't seem too thrilled at the prospect of any of us being in the same room with him..." Kelly added before pausing. It didn't take an expert to see that Mia wasn't paying any attention to her.

"Mia, is everything okay? You seem a little...distracted."

Mia looked up at her with a blank stare. "What? Yeah...I'm sorry. I just... have a lot on my mind right now. You were saying?"

Kelly sat down across from her and studied her. "Are you sure you're alright? If you need to talk...you know I'm here for you."

Mia forced a smile. "Thanks. But really...I'm okay. It's nothing important. Anyway, I'm sorry. What were you saying about John?"

"Really. I'm fine." she repeated after a moment, as Kelly continued to stare at her silently.

Kelly raised her hands defensively. "Okay. You're fine. I got it." She paused for a moment. "Mia, can I ask you something?"

"Of course." she replied.

"Well, you know I was just kidding around this morning when I said I was going to fix you up with someone...but... it's just that we've been friends for almost two years now...and I've never even heard you mention of having a boyfriend...or even being interested in anyone. You are a WWE Diva, so I'm sure you've had plenty of offers. I don't know...I was just kind of curious as to why?"

Mia stared at Kelly thoughtfully as she considered the question.

"I don't know. It just really hasn't been much of a priority for me I guess. Getting this job...it's such an amazing opportunity. I've put so much time and energy into this...I guess I really haven't had much left over for my personal life. Maybe I should work on that, huh?"

Kelly shook her head. "No..I mean I understand. It's just that its such a different approach from what some of these other girls take. I really admire you for it."

"Thanks. But it's really not a big deal." she shrugged, eager to deflect the attention away from herself. "So what about you? It's been a couple of months since you and ….what's his name...Jason..split up. You seeing anybody new yet?"

Kelly grinned. "No not yet. There is this one guy. He seems a little...interesting...but I don't know. I haven't had a chance to talk to him much yet, so I'm not sure if he's available or not. Maybe soon."

Mia gave her an inquisitive glance. "Really? Anybody I know?" she asked.

"No. I don't think you've met him yet." Kelly replied evasively.

"Well, I hope I get to meet him soon."

"Yeah, maybe." Kelly picked up her cell phone and checked the time. "Hey, we've got some time to kill before the show starts. Want to grab something to eat?"

"Sure." Mia followed Kelly out into the hallway. "Actually, I have something I need to take care of real quick. You mind if I meet you there in a few minutes?"

"Sure. See you in a bit."

Mia watched until Kelly was out of sight, then she turned and headed in the opposite direction. She had devised a plan to possibly get Wade alone so she could talk with him, but first she needed to find out the order for the night's matches. She headed toward the staging area where they displayed the current show information, and quickly found what she was looking for. She was pleased with what she saw. Her tag team match with Kelly was the third on the card. Wade's match was next to last and he was competing against John yet again. Inwardly, Mia cringed. She wasn't looking forward to watching that match. Considering their past history and the events of the past few weeks, she knew it was going to be an intense confrontation. But at least the scheduling was good. It would give her exactly the time she needed to hopefully carry out her plan.

Mia headed back toward the cafeteria area to meet up with Kelly, mentally finalizing her strategy. She knew John always made himself scarce before one of his big events. He needed time alone to clear his head and to do whatever the hell else he needed to do to prepare for his match. It was the one time she knew she wouldn't have to worry about him looking for her. So she would have plenty of time to compete in her match, get backstage, and find Wade without having to worry about John tracking her down.

At the thought of confronting Wade, she felt a nervous fluttering in the pit of her stomach. After their conversation the previous night, she was curious to see what his reaction would be when he saw her again. She just hoped that this time, she would finally get some answers from him.

**XXXXXX**

Mia stood just outside the locker room door and stared at the Nexus sign that was taped to it. Her match had taken even less time than she had expected, but she'd lingered in her own locker room with Kelly, waiting impatiently until she was sure she could sneak off without her friend becoming too suspicious of her. Now she stood outside Wade's door, the courage and determination she'd felt earlier quickly dissipating. Raising her hand to knock, she hesitated, then turned and walked away, stepping around the corner out of sight. She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. Why was she feeling so nervous at the prospect of seeing him again?

_You don't have much time, _she warned herself. _Just do this before somebody comes along and sees you here!_

She clenched her fists, took a couple of deep breaths and started around the corner, but the sound of the door opening caused her to jump back. Peering cautiously around the edge of the wall, she watched as Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel exited the room and headed in the opposite direction down the corridor.

_Well, that's two less people I have to worry about,_ she thought as she watched them disappear from view. It would be difficult enough to talk to Wade as it was, let alone in front of a whole room full of people.

Mia took another look around to make sure no one was watching, then she stepped in front of the door. She hesitated again, then finally worked up the courage to knock. Waiting impatiently, she was just preparing to knock again when the door finally swept inward. She frowned when she saw David Otunga standing in front of her, momentarily thrown off guard. She had hoped that the rest of the Nexus members would also be gone.

"I...I need to talk to Wade." she stammered, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks as he raised his eyebrow suggestively. He glared at her wordlessly for a moment, then closed the door in her face.

Mia stared in confusion, uncertain as to whether he was ignoring her or expecting her to wait. Annoyed, she raised her hand again, when the door was abruptly jerked open. Suddenly, Wade was standing in front of her, and he did not look happy.

Leaning against the door frame, he crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her angrily. Mia fought the urge to let her eyes travel over his impressive body, the fact that he was dressed only in a t-shirt and his wrestling trunks doing little to discourage her.

"Well, look who it is. Did you come to beg for mercy for your boyfriend?" he taunted, referring to his upcoming match with John.

His tone caught Mia completely off guard.

"I...no. John's a big boy. He can take care of himself. He doesn't need my help."

Wade smirked. "We'll see about that."

Mia frowned. This was not the reaction that she had expected from him.

"I came to talk to you...about last night." she continued. "I want to know what's going on."

He tilted his head questioningly. "I'm not sure I'm following you."

"Last night...you gave me a warning. You told me to be careful. Why? You know something and I want to know what it is." she demanded.

Wade chuckled.

"I'm afraid you must have misinterpreted my meaning." he replied with a smirk."Your behavior was careless. I simply suggested that you use some common sense before you got hurt."

Mia studied him. "You're lying."

Wade shook his head. "You're wrong."

"You're lying." she repeated. "You do know something..."

Wade cut her off.

"If there's nothing else, I have a match to get ready for..."

He pushed himself off of the door frame as he though he was preparing to leave. Mia clenched her fists in anger. He was avoiding her questions again.

"Tell me what you know!" she demanded.

She stared up at him, watching as the muscles in his jaw clenched in anger. Then Wade reached behind him and slammed the door shut as he stepped out into the hallway, mere inches away from her. Mia was so startled she was forced to take a step back away from him, yet he still loomed over her menacingly, and it took all of her effort not to turn and run away.

"You need to understand something right now." he growled at her. "You need to stay away from me. I don't know what kind of misguided notions you might have in that flighty head of yours but you need to let it go. We are not friends. We're not going to hang out. And we are certainly not going to continue this conversation. I don't know what it is that you think I know, but I'm telling you for the last time, there is nothing for me to tell you. Now if you don't mind, I have a match to prepare for."

He turned as if to go inside, then paused. He looked back at her over his shoulder.

"You should stick around and watch. I'm sure John will need your help by the time I'm finished with him."

Wade slammed the door shut with such force that it caused Mia to jump. She stared at the empty space in front of her, completely dumbfounded. What had just happened? How could one person change so quickly?

Dazed, she turned and headed down the corridor toward her own locker room, replaying his words over in her head.

_We are not friends. _

She couldn't explain the emptiness those four words brought to her. How was it that he was able to have such an effect on her?

Finally reaching her own door, she tried to shake off her disappointment before she had to go inside and face Kelly. She was in no mood to answer a bunch of questions. Besides, Wade's match would be starting soon and as much as she hated to, she felt compelled to watch to see what he would do. She just hoped that she hadn't somehow made things worse than they already were. She couldn't stand the thought of being responsible for either of them being hurt.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Mia stepped inside the locker room as Kelly looked up from the television.

"You're just in time. John's match is about to start." she stated.

Mia nodded. "Ok. Give me just a sec."

She could feel Kelly's eyes on her as she crossed the room and headed to the bathroom, the she closed the door and stared at herself in the mirror. _Pull yourself together_, she scolded to herself. _Nobody needs to know about this_. Dabbing some cold water on her face, she took a few calming breaths, then returned to the other room, joining Kelly in front of the television.

"You ok?" Kelly asked, glancing at her.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Mia replied, keeping her eyes on the monitor. She was in no mood to get pulled into a discussion right now.

She tensed as Wade's music started and he appeared on the screen. Despite everything that had just happened between them, she couldn't help but admire him as he strode to the ring. He was tall, well-built, handsome. He didn't have the large Herculean frame that a lot of the other guys had but that certainly didn't mean he was weak. What he lacked in mass, he made up for in intelligence. He was ruthless and cunning and he carried himself with an air of self-assurdedness that intrigued her. If only he wasn't so...difficult.

He climbed into the ring his eyes scanning over the crowd as Mia replayed their conversation in her mind. She simply couldn't understand his sudden change in demeanor. The previous night, he'd seemed so concerned with her well-being. Yet tonight, he'd acted as though he couldn't stand the sight of her. She couldn't help but wonder if she had done something to upset him.

John's music hit next, and Mia felt the knot that had formed in her stomach begin to tighten. There was certainly no love lost between the two men. Their rivalry had been instigated by what she believed was Wade's need to prove himself as a rookie. The group of Nexus members had burst onto the scene quickly and were eager to make a name for themselves. What better way to do that than to take out the most popular wrestler in the company? John had withstood weeks of verbal and physical attacks, and with each one his contempt for the group, and especially Wade, had continued to fester. Mia's only comfort at the moment was the fact that John was not aware of her recent encounters with Wade. She was certain that if he had any clue regarding the nature of their conversations, she knew there would be no containing his fury.

"John looks pretty intense tonight." Kelly stated. "I almost feel sorry for Wade."

Mia nodded her head in agreement, although she was finding it very hard to choose sides. She didn't know what the outcome of this contest might be, but regardless, she didn't want to see either of them get hurt.

The referee signaled for the bell and the two men stared each other down for what seemed like an eternity, before Wade finally made a move. He aimed a quick kick at John's midsection, but John dodged out of the way and Wade stumbled past him. He turned quickly and came at John again, but John took him down with a clothesline, then straddled him and began pummeling him with a serious of hard blows to the head. Mia could see John yelling at him with every blow and she cringed.

Wade finally managed to push John away and he jumped back to his feet just in time to plant a large boot in John's face, knocking him to the mat. Mimicking John's moves, Wade straddled him and and pounded his large fists into his face several times before John broke free.

The back and forth struggles continued for several long minutes and Mia fought to remain emotionless as she watched them battle. With effort, she maintained her calm...until the action spilled outside the ring.

John ran at Wade, who ducked, and flipped John over his back and across the ropes. John caught himself on the top rope and landed on the ring apron, but another large boot from Wade knocked him to the floor.

Wade climbed through the ropes and jumped down onto John, giving him a hard knee to the back. Then he picked him up, led him around the ring and threw him into the announcer's table. John slid across the top and landed behind it, on top of a couple of chairs. Wade smirked and paused to catch his breath. He rolled back into the ring to avoid being counted out, then jumped back outside to go after John again. Walking around the table, he drug him to his feet and held him by the throat as he taunted the crowd. However, his pause gave John the break he needed. He managed to knee Wade in the stomach and as he doubled over, John turned behind him and grabbed a steel chair.

John slid the chair under the bottom rope, then grabbed Wade up and shoved him back into the ring. He picked up the chair and waited for Wade to stand up. The referee jumped in front of him, his hands up, and ordered him to put it down. John refused and he turned his attention back to Wade, but the brief distraction had allowed enough time for the other Nexus members to get to the ring. David Otunga attacked him from behind, knocking his legs out from under him. He began to stomp and kick John and the other members fell in beside him as they each entered the ring.

Wade made it to his feet and grabbed up the chair, as he ordered his group to hold John up. They did as they were told, holding him by his arms and Wade followed through with the chair, a sickening thud sounding through the arena as it bounced off John's head.

Kelly squealed and covered her mouth in horror, as Mia stared at the monitor in stunned silence.

Wade struck him twice more with the chair, which was now twisted and broken, and he threw it to the ground as the Nexus released John and he crumpled to the mat. They gathered around him, grinning and taunting him, adding in an extra kick or two as the urge struck them. They stood together in the ring and faced the crowd, raising their hands in victory, as they admired their handiwork. Then, one by one, they exited the ring. They were so caught up in the moment, none of them had noticed John inching toward the broken chair. As the last man, Heath Slater, prepared to climb through the ropes, John jumped to his feet and struck him across the back with the twisted slab of metal.

The other members clamored back into the ring to assist Heath, where they all received similar blows to the head and back. Everyone, that was, except Wade. He held back until the last minute, then came in low and as John raised the chair to strike him, Wade connected with his legs and knocked him off his feet. He managed a couple of hard blows to John's midsection before John responded with a heavy fist to the head. Wade fell back and staggered to his feet again, standing upright just in time to received a crushing blow to the throat with the edge of the chair. He fell to the mat, gasping for air as he clutched his neck.

Holding the chair, John got to his own feet and stood over Wade, staring out at the crowd in approval. Then, raising the weapon, he struck him hard across the back of the head. The crowd cheering in approval, he hit him a second time, then raised it to hit him yet again, before several referees made it to the ring and separated the two men. John fell to his knees, his forehead now bleeding profusely, as a couple of referees helped Wade out of the ring and up the ramp to the backstage area.

Inside the locker room, Mia and Kelly gave each other a frightened glance , then rushed out into the hallway to wait for John to come backstage. They rounded a corner and saw Wade, accompanied by the referees, headed in their direction. Mia froze in place and Kelly finally pulled her to the side to give them room to pass. Wade staggered by and, for one brief second, their eyes met. The anger she'd seen earlier was still there, but the intensity was gone. It was obvious he was in a lot of pain. She fought the urge to run to him to see if he was okay.

"Here he is." Kelly stated, drawing her attention from Wade.

Mia moaned as she saw John approaching them, being assisted by a couple of referees of his own.

"You look horrible. Are you alright?" Kelly asked, as he stopped in front of them.

"Yeah. I'm great." he replied sarcastically, holding his head. He glanced at Mia.

"I won. I got him." he smiled. "I told you I'd get him."

"Yeah, you did." Mia replied, sounding less than enthused. "But there's a big difference between winning and getting yourself killed."

"Let's get you fixed up." one of the refs interrupted, leading John away down the hall. Kelly fell in behind them.

Mia frowned as she watched them walk away, then glanced in the direction that Wade had gone. She reminded herself that it would do her no good to go after him. He'd made it plainly clear that he didn't want anything to do with her.

Silently cursing herself for her concern, she reluctantly followed after John, determined to push all thoughts of Wade from her mind. Right now, John needed her and she owed it to him to be there for him. Everything else would just have to wait.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Do you need anything?"

Mia stared down at John as he was stretched out on his hotel room bed, an ice pack pressed to the side of his face. It had taken several stitches to close the large gash on his head.

"No. I'm good." he replied.

Mia turned her back to him and nervously folded the clothes he'd thrown across a chair. John studied her.

"I have to say, I'm a little disappointed in you. You didn't seem too excited about my win tonight." he stated. "What's the deal?"

She turned and gaped at him in surprise, then took a seat on the edge of his bed.

"You expect me to be happy about this?" she questioned. "Have you looked in the mirror, John? Did you see what you did to yourself tonight?"

_What you did to Wade? _she thought to herself.

"So I took a couple of hard shots. So what? I've waited for weeks for a chance to do something like this to that bunch of worthless punks." he exclaimed. "They got exactly what they had coming to them. And I think maybe I finally got my point across..."

"But at what cost? It's not worth it, John. This is starting to really get out of hand. Just look at what happened out there tonight. It's bad enough as it is...but it could've been a lot worse. Is that something you're willing to live with...knowing that you ended someone's career? Or worse, that they ended yours?"

John scoffed. "Nothing's going to happen to me. Especially not at the hands of Barrett or one of his miserable little thugs."

Mia shook her head. "You can't be sure of that. Not if things keep going like this."

"What do you expect me to do?" John questioned. "Tuck my tail between my legs and run away? Just stand back and let them do whatever they want? To whoever they want?"

Mia frowned as the meaning of his words sunk in.

"So that's what this is about? This doesn't have anything to do with protecting the business or reclaiming your honor, does it? This is personal. You have a personal vendetta against Wade because you think he tried to hurt me..."

"I know he tried to hurt you, Mia."

She looked at him skeptically.

"I can't prove it, but I know." he added. "There is not a doubt in my mind that he was involved in that accident somehow..."

"You don't know that, John."

Mia stood and paced across the room, her arms folded protectively across her chest. She didn't want to get into this with him now.

"I do know that. I don't believe in coincidences, Mia. Not one that convenient anyway."

"Whatever. You're entitled to your opinion." she conceded, hoping to put a quick end to the argument. She turned to look at him again.

"Look, we both need to get some rest. Are you sure you don't need anything before I go?" she inquired.

John shook his head. He could tell she was annoyed with him again. He just couldn't figure out why she continued to balk at the idea that Wade was out to get her. Sometimes he wondered how she could possibly be so naive...

Mia grabbed up her hoodie and slipped it on as she leaned over and gave John a small kiss on the forehead. He grabbed her wrist as she pulled away.

"You know I'm just watching out for you, right?" he asked. "I'm just trying to keep you safe."

Mia sighed. What was it with everybody thinking she was in some kind of danger?

"I know." she replied. "Get some rest. I'll talk to you in the morning."

Leaving his room, Mia stepped onto the elevator and headed up to her floor. She was tired. This emotional tug-of-war between John and Wade was starting to take its toll on her. She hated feeling like she was somehow being disloyal to John. She knew the history between the two men and she'd seen the things Wade and his group had done to him, what they had done to others. But she hated seeing what they were doing to each other. Especially, since she seemed to be a major source of the conflict, at least from John's perspective. She reminded herself again that she was apparently of no concern to Wade.

Stepping off of the elevator, she walked to her door and pulled the key card out of her pocket. Then she silently cursed. She'd been in such a hurry to get John back to the hotel, she'd forgotten her bags in her rental car. Sighing, she turned and headed back to the elevator and pushed the button to the ground floor.

This particular hotel had a parking garage and Mia had parked in the bottom level, about halfway down the aisle. The area was dimly lit, and fairly crowded for a Sunday night, but she spotted her car easily enough. She grabbed her bags out of the trunk and closed the lid, then turned back toward the elevator. Suddenly a loud noise echoed from behind her and she whirled around, startled. She studied the darkened space suspiciously.

"Hello? Is someone there?" she asked, her voice echoing off of the gray concrete fixtures.

At first she was met with silence. Then she heard a second noise...a light shuffling sound that emanated from somewhere within the depths of the unlit shadows. It was so faint, she was unable to pinpoint the direction it had come from. But for some reason, the sound of it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

Still searching for any movement from the shadows, she stepped backwards until she reached the elevator and pushed the button. She waited for what seemed like minutes for the doors to open, and she backed inside, scanning the space in front of her until they drifted closed again. Breathing a sigh of relief, she sagged against the wall, her nerves still on edge. She was going to have to put an end to all this talk about her being in danger. It was starting to make her paranoid.

Back on her floor and still jittery, Mia surveyed her surroundings carefully as she approached her door and unlocked it. She relaxed only slightly once she was inside, with the door safely bolted shut behind her.

She took a quick shower, occasionally peeking her head through the curtain to keep an eye on the locked bathroom door. Slipping into her pajamas, she hesitantly opened the door and stepped back into the main room, taking note that it was in the same condition that she had left it. She checked the door locks one last time, then turned off the light and climbed into the bed.

Mia felt more than foolish at her actions. She told herself to relax, that her imagination was just getting the best of her. But the incident from earlier still had her spooked. She didn't know why she had felt so threatened ...it wasn't like she'd seen any sign of trouble. But something about it had just felt ominous to her.

Rolling onto her side, she tried to focus her thoughts on Wade instead. Her mind replayed the image of John striking him in the throat with the chair and she shuddered. She wondered how badly he had been injured. Inevitably, memories of their earlier conversation crept into her mind, his cruel words taunting her anew.

_You need to stay away from me._

_We are not friends._

She recalled their first conversation from that night on the patio, remembering the intensity of his gaze, the concern in his voice. She simply couldn't reconcile the two events. His sudden change in attitude mystified her. And she couldn't explain the disappointment she felt at his rejection. She told herself that it was because she hadn't gotten any answers from him, that his refusal to help her was preventing her from discovering the truth about the night of the accident. But she found that her reasoning was less than convincing. There was something else. And she didn't want to admit to herself just what that might be.

As she drifted off to sleep, the images of Wade were replaced by the echo of John's words.

_I know he tried to hurt you Mia. There is not a doubt in my mind he was involved in that accident._

Mia trembled as a chill raced through her. She couldn't bring herself to believe them. She didn't want to consider the possibility that it might actually be true.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Mia walked alone backstage before Raw, trying to avoid everyone as she attempted to clear her head. It had been a very long and very odd week.

Although she hadn't seen or talked to Wade at all over the past several days, she had been relieved to discover that his injuries from his match with John had not been serious. He'd made it through with only some severe bruising. And, of course, John was still gloating over his win, although Mia had warned him more than once that she was tired of hearing about it.

But that wasn't the only thing bothering her. She wasn't sure if she was being paranoid or if she was just losing her mind, but she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following her. Without a doubt, the incident in the parking garage the week before had spooked her. But on two more occasions since then, she'd gotten that same eerie feeling, with no visible or reasonable cause for her reaction. She had no rational explanation for her response or for the fact she even felt threatened to begin with. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't shake the notion that something was wrong.

Walking through mostly deserted hallways, she headed outside to the loading area, hoping to find a quiet place where she could sit and think without being interrupted. She'd already changed into her wrestling gear and she still had some time to kill before the show started. And she needed to find a way to keep her imagination in check before it drove her completely crazy.

Her cell phone beeped, signaling that she had a text message, and she paused as she glanced down at the screen. It was Kelly, asking where she was. As she typed her reply, Mia became aware of a faint noise that echoed behind her. Despite the past week, she didn't pay much attention to the sound. This was normally a busy area. There was always a lot of equipment that had to be moved around in preparation for each show and there were always people coming and going from the shipping areas, loading and unloading the trucks and assembling equipment. Yet, when she finally took a look around, she was surprised to find that she was still completely alone.

The noise came again, slightly louder this time, and her heart quickened momentarily as she focused her attention on some metal shipping containers that seemed to be the source of the sound. Cautiously, she made her way toward them, certain that she would find an employee or two digging among them, searching for a specific prop or piece of equipment.

"Hello? Is someone back there?" she questioned, frowning when she received no answer. Perhaps they were so busy, they hadn't heard her.

She stood in front of the large metal crates and studied them for a moment. They were assembled in two stacks, each stack containing three boxes. Each box measured about four feet tall by eight feet long and was constructed of heavy aluminum. They were heavy and cumbersome, but very effective for transporting delicate equipment from one arena to next. As Mia observed them, she questioned their placement, wondering why someone would bother to stack them in this manner, when they would have to be repacked and reloaded onto a truck in a matter of a few hours. She assumed that, due to their size, they had probably simply just been in the way.

The noise came yet again, and Mia jumped at the unexpected sound. This time, she was certain it had originated from behind the large stacks of boxes and yet, no one had answered her earlier call. Her suspicions aroused, she glanced back up the towering height of the containers, for the first time noticing just how top heavy they seemed. Whoever had stacked them together had obviously done it in a hurry and not very effectively at that. They almost appeared to be leaning toward one side. It took only a split second for her to realize that they weren't leaning...they were falling!

Mia cried out and managed to throw herself backwards out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed under their massive weight, but the sharp metal corner of one box caught her left leg, leaving a deep jagged wound down the side as it crashed to the ground.

It took a few seconds for the pain to hit her and she grabbed her leg instinctively, her panic rising when she pulled her hand away and noticed that it was covered in blood. Thankfully, the commotion had attracted the attention of several employees and she was quickly surrounded by a variety of people, including backstage workers and wrestlers. John was one of them and he shoved the others out of the way to get to her, kneeling beside her.

"Jesus Mia! What the hell happened?" he exclaimed, his concern growing as he saw the blood pooling under her leg.

"They fell." she whimpered, still grabbing her injured limb.

Two emergency workers pushed their way through the crowd and studied her, one of them kneeling beside her leg. She flinched in pain as he wrapped a towel around the cut, while sending the second man after a gurney.

"Are you hurt anywhere else? Did you hit your head?" he asked, and Mia shook her head, unable to bring herself to speak. She rested against John, gripping his hand tightly.

The second man returned and together the two workers lifted her onto the gurney. Mia pleaded with them, and with John, not to send her to the hospital. She wanted one of the trainers to look at her first, in hopes that a trip to the emergency room would not be necessary. That was the last place she wanted to spend her night. Reluctantly, John agreed, and he followed close behind as the two men wheeled her down the hall to the trainer's room.

The trainer, Paul, was already there when they brought her in and he quickly went to work examining her leg. John watched with concern as Paul cleaned and studied the wound and Mia fought the urge to reach up and slap the him as he prodded her a few times too many. Finally, he stood up and met her gaze.

"It doesn't appear to be too serious. Nothing that will cause permanent damage. However, it is a pretty deep cut. You'll need to have a few stitches to close it up." he stated.

Mia winced.

"Do I have to?" she whined. "Are you sure it won't be okay without them?"

Paul shook his head. "The wound is too deep and too long. If you don't get stitches, it won't heal properly and you'll have a greater risk of infection. I need to do this now, before it causes bigger problems down the road."

Mia closed her eyes and laid her head back on the gurney. John took a seat beside of her and took her hand again.

"It's not so bad, I promise." he stated. "Besides, you'll be in the club now."

Mia gave him an annoyed glance.

"I'll numb it first." Paul stated calmly, as he went to work. "Don't worry. By the time I'm done, you shouldn't feel anything at all."

**XXXXX**

Thirty minutes later, Paul was done with her leg, and true to his word, she'd felt no pain as he stitched the wound close. The anesthetic shot was another matter, however. She'd had to fight the urge to reach up and grab the needle and jab it into his eye.

"How are you feeling?" John asked, still sitting beside her.

"I'm ok, I guess." she replied.

"How did this happen anyway?"

Mia shrugged.

"I'm not really sure. I heard a noise. It sounded like it was coming from those shipping containers, so I walked closer to get a better look. And then they just...fell over. I don't know what happened."

She hadn't bothered to mention to John about the strange occurrence in the parking garage. Or any of the other incidents, for that matter. She was afraid he would think she was crazy.

"You heard a noise?" he asked. "What kind of noise?"

Mia thought for a moment.

"I don't know exactly. It sounded like maybe a scraping noise..."

"Like a metal scraping sound? Like maybe metal on concrete?" he questioned.

Mia studied him curiously.

"Maybe? Why do you ask?" she wondered.

John smiled faintly and shook his head.

"Just trying to figure out what might have happened" he replied.

But he did have an ulterior motive for asking. And if his suspicions were correct, heads were going to roll.

A knock on the door interrupted them, as a young intern peeked inside.

"John, your match is on in ten."

"Ok. On my way." he replied. He looked back at Mia. "Will you be alright for a few minutes while I'm gone?"

Mia smiled. "I"ll manage."

John gave her hand a squeeze before heading out the door, passing Paul, who was headed back into the room. Paul walked in to find Mia sitting precariously on the edge of the gurney

"How are we feeling now?" he asked, as he stepped in front of her.

"Okay, I think." she replied. Then she moaned, grabbing her head. Paul caught her as she wobbled.

"Feeling a little queasy?" he asked. Mia nodded.

He eased her back onto the mattress and carefully lifted her legs up, taking care not to jar her injured limb. He gave her a pain pill and a small cup of water.

"We don't want to have to put stitches in your head tonight too. Why don't you lie back and take it easy for a little bit? Give the medicine time to take effect. Then I'll help you up, okay?"

Mia reluctantly agreed.

"I'll be back to check on you in a little bit. You just rest" he stated, flipping off a couple of the lights as he exited the room.

Closing her eyes, she threw her arm over them, blocking out the remaining light, and tried not to focus on the throbbing that was steadily increasing in her leg. Hurt and tired and frustrated, she wanted to cry, but she refused to let the tears fall. At least not while she was here, where someone else might see her. The last thing she wanted was her co-workers thinking she was weak.

The combination of the darkened room and the medication helped her to relax, and she was just starting to doze when a deep rumble in her ear startled her from approaching sleep.

"This wouldn't have happened if you'd just listened to me..."

Mia nearly jumped off the table in fright as the familiar voice spoke to her. She turned her head, her eyes widening as she met Wade's fiery gaze.

Another wave of nausea hit her and she laid back on the pillow again, turning her head away from him.

"What are you doing here?" she murmured, as she recalled their last conversation.

"Someone told me you'd been hurt. I came to check on you." he replied, his eyes still fixated on her.

Mia chuckled sarcastically. "Why? You made it very clear that you don't want anything to do with me..."

"I never said that." he argued.

Mia turned and stared at him in exasperation. She opened her mouth to argue but she just didn't have the energy to bicker with him tonight. She turned away from him again, still hurt and confused by his previous behavior.

"How did this happen, Mia? I warned you to be careful. You could have been seriously hurt out there you know..."

"Yes, I'm quite aware of that!" she snapped, glaring at him. "But unfortunately, giant metal boxes did not make my top ten list of things that could kill me! And you didn't give me anything but some stupid cryptic message and I don't see how that could possibly be useful considering I don't know what it is I'm supposed to be watching out for..."

"Everything" he stated. "You need to be wary of everything."

"Thanks." she replied dryly. "That clears everything up."

She could see his jaw muscles twitching again, his eyebrows furrowed together in a frown. It provided her with a small measure of satisfaction to see that she was starting to get under his skin. She closed her eyes.

"You should go. John will be back soon. He can't find you here." she warned.

When she got no response, she turned back to him. His eyes were locked on her leg, studying her bandaged wound. Slowly he reached out and touched her, tracing a soft line up the side of her leg, below the cut. Mia shivered at the contact, surprised by the intensity of the heat from such a slight touch. She watched his eyes travel up her body, coming to rest on her face again. For a brief moment, she forgot to breathe. Then she came crashing back to reality, as she realized what a precarious situation they were in. If anybody came through that door and saw them together...

"Please." she whispered breathlessly. "He can't find you here."

Wade hesitated before offering a nod of his head, then he turned and left the room without a word. When he was gone, Mia exhaled loudly, her leg still tingling from his touch. Tonight, she'd seen it. The same look that she had seen that first night on the patio. Concern? Fear? She wasn't sure what to call it. But it _had_ been there. Of that much she was certain.

But what about their last conversation? The coldness he'd had toward her? The callous way he'd blown her off?

She just didn't know what to make of it all. But one thing was for sure - she was going to have to get some answers soon. Otherwise, she was going to go crazy trying to find them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Mia stretched and moaned as she glanced at the alarm clock for the third time that morning. She was still having trouble convincing herself to get out of bed. She flexed her leg, testing the muscle, wincing when she felt a sting of pain. It had been a week since the accident that had injured her leg, and although it was starting to heal, it still provided her with a measure of discomfort.

She finally rolled over and tossed back the covers and sat up on the edge of the bed. She checked her cell phone, then partially opened the curtain and gazed out at the sunshine beyond the window. At least the day would be bright, even if it was still a little chilly.

She sighed as her thoughts drifted to Wade. Tracing her finger up the side of her leg where he had caressed her, she shivered when she recalled his touch. She wondered what it might be like to experience more, to feel him run his hands through her hair, to feel his lips graze against hers, to feel his body pressed against her own. Mia quickly shook the thoughts away. She knew that was never going to happen.

Reluctantly, she moved from the bed and headed to the bathroom to shower, hoping it would give her the boost she needed. Thirty minutes later, she was showered and dressed, and she emerged from the bathroom feeling only slightly better. She sat on the edge of the bed again and flipped on the tv, but she payed little attention to what was on the screen. Thoughts of Wade continued to distract her.

Mia couldn't help but wonder about his strange and sudden appearance in the trainer's room after her accident. He was the last person she had expected to see that night. And his attitude toward her had been even more confusing, considering the last time she'd seen him, he'd acted as though he didn't want anything else to do with her. She had hoped for another opportunity to speak with him, but since then, it seemed like she had barely had more that a few minutes at a time alone. If John wasn't around, Kelly was. And if she was gone, there was always another friend ready to step in and take her place. Mia knew they were only concerned about her, but she hated feeling like someone was constantly babysitting her.

Since her injury, she had been unable to actively compete in the ring, and it had been pure torture for her. Her workouts had also been severely limited, mostly to some light walking. She'd been confined to either a car or a hotel room for the majority of the past week and she was bored out of her mind, with no way to burn off her restless energy. She needed a break from the forced monotony of her days. Just a few hours away from everyone and everything, so she could calm the anxiety that kept building inside of her.

Picking up her phone, she punched in her location and searched through the list of nearby stores and attractions. She found a shopping mall close by, and she programmed the directions into her phone, grabbing a hoodie and pair of sunglasses as she headed out of the room. It seemed like a good day to do a little shopping.

**XXXXX**

Mia found the place easily enough, and when she pulled into the parking lot, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the shopping center contained a large book store. She could easily kill several hours scanning though the shelves, reading snippets from various paperbacks and flipping through the glossy picture books. She headed there first, and once inside, took her time browsing through the aisles, occasionally pulling a book off the shelf and flipping through the pages. Thankfully, the store was not very crowded, so she was allowed to shop in peace without anyone recognizing her.

Pausing in front of a shelf, she picked up an interesting paperback and skimmed over the first couple of pages. As she studied the book, she thought she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, near the end of the aisle, and she turned her head, expecting to see someone approaching her. She was surprised to see that the aisle was still empty, except for herself. Shrugging it off, she scanned over one last page, then returned the book to the shelf.

Moving on to the next aisle, she stopped in front of the fiction section. She spotted the newest novel by her favorite author, Stephen King, and she picked it up excitedly and thumbed through it, reading over the summary. Again, she was certain she saw something move off to the side and she glanced up quickly, but there was still no one else to be seen. She turned around slowly, wondering if her mind was starting to play tricks on her.

Looking back down at the book in her hands, she quickly became engrossed in the story, losing track of time as she read through the first chapter. Flipping through a few more pages, something to her right suddenly caught her attention and this time she looked up at just the right moment. Her eyes widened in surprise. Then throwing the book back on the shelf, she turned to the left, stalked down the aisle and rounded the corner. And ran directly into Wade.

He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, his eyes hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses. Mia stared up at him in shock.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned, eyeing him suspiciously.

Wade smirked as he removed his sunglasses.

"Just browsing." he replied, letting his eyes travel over her.

Mia felt the heat rising in her cheeks in response to his boldness. She stared up at him, speechless, as she considered his words. How convenient it was for him to randomly show up at the same store where she just happened to be shopping? Planting her hands on her hips, she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are you following me?" she asked, raising her voice.

Wade frowned as a nearby clerk turned and looked at them. Grabbing Mia by the upper arm, he pulled her down the aisle to the opposite end, where it would be more difficult for someone to see them.

"A little more discretion on your part would be nice." he quipped, as he released her.

Mia continued to walk past him, then she stopped and turned to look at him.

"How long?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest.

Wade gave her a questioning glance.

"How long have you been following me?"she repeated, the irritation evident in her voice.

Wade sighed and looked away.

"How long?" she repeated again, gritting her teeth.

He looked back down at her.

"A few days." he replied.

"A few..." Mia stopped, trying to get her anger under control.

"How dare you?" she continued, only slight calmer. "What are you thinking? Why would you do something like that?"

"Well apparently somebody has to keep an eye on you because you've made it abundantly clear that you're certainly not capable of keeping yourself out of trouble..."

"That's because you refuse to tell me anything..." she interrupted.

"We are not having this conversation again." he warned, cutting her off.

Mia turned away from him, hugging herself protectively. She could feel tears of frustration welling up inside her and she fought them back. Why wouldn't he just tell her what he knew?

He stepped closer to her.

"I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"Why?" she asked.

He hesitated. "I just want to help."

"If you really wanted to help, you'd stop lying to me." She turned, giving him a hurtful look.

He gazed down at her and shook his head. Mia turned away from him again.

"Don't." Wade reached out and grabbed her by the arm. Mia closed her eyes, remembering their encounter in the trainer's room.

"What happened the other night?" she asked.

Wade paused. "I don't know. You said the boxes fell..."

"That's not what I'm talking about." Mia turned to slowly face him.

"I meant what happened with you. What made you change your mind?"she asked.

She could see him stiffen at the new direction her questions had taken, his whole demeanor changing suddenly.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." he stated cautiously. "Change my mind about what?"

Mia frowned at him. He knew exactly what she meant. She resigned herself to the obvious fact that he simply wasn't going to tell her anything she wanted to hear.

"Never mind." she sighed, weaving around him as she started to walk away.

"What do you want from me, Mia?" he asked. "What do you expect me to do?"

She whirled around quickly, her anger rising to the surface again.

"I want you to stop playing these stupid games and tell me the truth!" she argued.

"I don't know why you have to be so hard headed." he replied, shaking his head.

Exasperated, Mia stepped back and glared at him.

"What are you hiding from me? You know, I'm beginning to think maybe John is right. Maybe you did have something to do with the accident that first night." she accused.

It was exactly the wrong thing for her to say. Anger flashed in Wade's eyes and within seconds he had closed the distance between them, looming over her.

"Well, you can send word to him that if he thinks that I'm capable of such a thing, he might be just the one to find that out." he growled. Mia cringed at the coldness she heard in his voice.

"Excuse me. Can I help you two with anything?"

Surprised, they both looked at the young sales clerk that had stopped beside of them.

Wade took a step back and looked from her to Mia.

"No thanks. I was just leaving." he replied, slipping his sunglasses back on as he stomped down the aisle and around the corner.

"No, thank you." Mia smiled politely at the clerk, before turning back in the direction that Wade had gone.

Her accusation had apparently struck a nerve with him, but for what reason? She wondered what he was really hiding. And if she would ever be fortunate enough to find out what it was.

Reluctantly, she followed Wade's path and headed to the door, her shopping mood ruined.

Exiting the store, she never noticed the man who emerged from two aisles beyond where Wade and herself had been standing. He watched her leave, the wheels in his mind turning as he processed the information he had just obtained. He was sure it would turn out to be useful. He just needed to figure out how.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"So, how's the leg?" Kelly asked Mia over lunch a few days later. They were already at the arena, preparing for another television taping.

"It's much better. The trainers have given me permission to increase the intensity of my workouts. I should be back to one hundred percent before too long." she replied, popping a piece of chicken in her mouth.

"That's good." Kelly smiled. "I'm looking forward to you getting back into the ring with me."

"Hey you two. Did you save any for me?" John teased, as he took a seat at their table and pointed at their plates.

"Get your own." Mia growled, protectively hugging her plate to her chest. John laughed and sat back in his chair, his gaze traveling from her to Kelly and back to her again.

"What?" Mia asked, eyeing him warily.

John said nothing but continued to smile at her.

Mia glanced at Kelly, who seemed to be as confused by his behavior as she was. She looked back at John as he leaned forward in his chair, his arms resting on the table.

"Do you remember our conversation from breakfast the other morning? You know, when we were giving you a hard time about getting a life?" he finally asked after a long moment.

Mia hesitantly nodded, sneaking in another glance at Kelly.

"Why?" she asked, suspicion creeping into her mind.

John remained silent, but he was still grinning at her uncontrollably.

"John? What did you do?" she asked worriedly. She could tell he was up to something, and by now she was certain it was something she wasn't going to like. But still, he said nothing.

"What did you do?" she repeated more urgently, when he failed to answer her.

"Okay, before you say anything, just hear me out..." he stated calmly. He knew she would not be thrilled to hear what he had to say.

"John? What. Did. You. Do?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes at him.

Suddenly, she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and she looked up in time to see a fourth person settle into the last empty chair at their table. She stared at the man in surprise, then turned her attention back to John.

"Mia, I don't think you've met my friend, Zack Ryder. Zack this is Mia. She's the one I was telling you about."

"Bro, you didn't tell me she was so hot!" he laughed, giving Mia a wink.

Gritting her teeth, Mia smiled politely, while simultaneously pushing his arm off of her. She gave John a death stare, then turned to Kelly, giving her a did-you-have-anything-to-do-with-this look. She was surprised to see Kelly's eyes were firmly focused on the plate in front of her as she picked at her food, a frown on her face. Mia shifted her attention back to the two men.

"John? I'm not sure..."

"Zack here is one of our biggest up and coming stars." John interrupted, cutting her off before she could start. "He's become a huge internet sensation and he's in line to compete for a major title. He has a great future in front of him."

"You know it." Zack chimed in, winking at her for a second time. Somehow his arm had made it back around her shoulders.

Again Mia smiled politely at him. She glanced to John, wordlessly pleading with him to help her.

"Well, I hate to run, but I have some promos to shoot. Kelly, you want to walk with me?" John asked as he stood up, ignoring Mia's silent plea.

Kelly looked up distractedly, her eyes briefly darting around the table, before she joined John.

"Yeah, I'll go with you." she replied, walking away without another glance.

Mia shot daggers at both of them as they left, trying her best to wish away the man who was still sitting beside of her.

"Oh, man! This is going to be great!" Zach grinned, giving her a playful hug.

Mia forced yet another smile between her clenched teeth, desperately searching her mind for any excuse that would allow her to extract herself from this unexpected situation_._ As Zach continued to ramble on, squeezing her shoulders frequently for emphasis, she thought that one thing was for sure - when she saw John again, she was going to give him a piece of her mind, the likes of which he had never seen before.

**XXXXX**

"Mia, please. Just give him a chance. He's a great guy." John pleaded, throwing up his hands to ward off her next attack. He was thankful that his hotel room was practically bare. That meant there were fewer things around for her to pick up and hurl at his head.

"He's an idiot!" she moaned, clenching her fists. She'd never wanted to punch someone so bad in her life. "Do you know how many times he told me I was 'hot' within the span of a ten minute conversation?"

John shook his head.

"Thirteen!" she continued, without giving him a chance to answer. "That's more than once per minute! And I have to say, that was probably the best part of our whole conversation!"

John sighed.

"I don't understand. Why would you do something like this to me?" she whined, stomping her foot hard enough to send a flare of pain shooting through her injured leg. Cursing, she sank down on the edge of his bed, rubbing her leg.

John sat cautiously beside of her.

"I'm just tired of seeing you alone." he said softly. "You're a great person Mia. You'd do anything for anybody. But you deserve to be happy too. I don't know...I'd just hoped that you two might hit it off. That maybe you'd finally find somebody who could give you that happiness."

Mia rubbed her face with her hands.

"Just give him one date." John continued, putting his hands out when Mia turned on him. "Just one dinner. Give him an honest chance. And if it doesn't work out then...at least you can say you gave it a shot."

"Okay. Fine." Mia agreed reluctantly, shaking her head. "But one dinner. That's it! Then pretty boy takes a walk. Agreed?"

"Agreed." John smiled at her. "Thanks."

"And you owe me big time!" she mumbled, as she stormed out of his room.

As Mia headed toward her own room, she tried not to think of what she had just agreed to. She was already dreading it. Silently, she cursed John again for the inconvenience of it all. But at least one good thing had come out of this whole daily fiasco. Between trying to avoid Zack and fending off his unwanted advances and thinking of ways that she could possibly kill John, she'd had little time to brood over her argument with Wade. Soundlessly, she cursed him too, for being his stupid, pig-headed, arrogant self. She was tired of all the pointless arguments and the stupid games. Finding out that he had been following her had been the last straw. But even as she tried to push the thoughts of him away, her curiosity continued to get the best of her. She couldn't help but wonder what it was that had him so concerned that he found it necessary to shadow her every move. What did he think was going to happen to her?

She thought of her upcoming date with Zach and frowned. Too bad Wade hadn't seen this particular disaster coming. She thought she'd gladly forgive him for all of his previous indiscretions if only he could help her avoid those few hours that she knew were going to be pure hell.

**XXXXX**

**I could be wrong...but I sense trouble coming :-)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Staring at herself in the floor length mirror, Mia smoothed a couple of wrinkles from her deep purple top and adjusted the low-cut neckline as she tried to get it situated just right. She picked a few pieces of lint from her black knee length skirt and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Sighing, she dug a pair of black heels from her bag and slipped them on. She still couldn't believe that she had let John talk her into this.

She gave herself one more glance in the mirror as a knock resonated through her door and she reluctantly crossed the room to open it. Zack's smiling face greeted her from the other side.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as they traveled down to her legs and back up again. "You look..."

"Hot. Yes, I know." Mia interrupted, taking a step backward into her room to grab her purse and cell phone. "You've mentioned that before."

"Yeah. But tonight you look super hot." he stated with a smile, as he backed out into the hallway. "You look awesome!"

"Wonderful. You learned a new word." Mia murmured sarcastically, as she followed him out of the room and shut the door behind her. Gritting her teeth as Zack grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hallway, she prayed to God to give her strength to make it through their date without killing him.

**XXXXXX**

Mia had wondered how they would manage to make it through dinner in a crowded restaurant without being recognized, but when the hostess led them to a secluded booth in the far back corner of the dining room, she realized they would be out of view from most of the other patrons and would likely not be disturbed. She had settled into one side of the booth, hoping that Zack would not try to crowd in beside her. Thankfully, he had taken a seat across from her instead. Right away, she had ordered a drink to help her loosen up, and now, two more drinks later, she was finding her conversation with him to be much more tolerable.

Zack had opted for a couple of beers as well, which had concerned Mia at first. She knew she would not be able to deal with him if he became even more animated than he already was. But thankfully, alcohol seemed to have the opposite effect on him. He'd actually grown calmer and more quiet. She'd found it had helped to make their dinner much more bearable.

"So...how's the leg?" Zack asked, during an uncomfortable lull in their conversation.

"It's fine. I'm doing much better." she replied, staring down into her nearly empty glass.

"That looked like a pretty scary accident. I'm glad you didn't get hurt any worse than you did." he continued.

"Me too." she agreed politely, hoping he would change the subject. She was really getting tired of discussing it with everybody.

Zack stared at her thoughtfully for a moment, then he frowned.

"John told me you had a close call a couple of months ago...that somebody tried to run you down with a car or something? Did you ever find out who it was?" he asked.

Mia sighed and shook her head. _I hope not_, she thought to herself, again questioning the extent of Wade's involvement.

"John has his suspicions. I'm sure he didn't fail to mention that to you as well, during your conversation." she replied, the annoyance evident in her voice. "Personally, I think he's wrong but...well, once he gets an idea in his head..."

She shrugged, her voice trailing off.

Zack chuckled. "Tell me about it. He's one of the most stubborn people I've ever met."

Mia rolled her eyes. "You can say that again..."

"Did he ever mention the time he got into a fight with his wife over a set of car keys?" he asked.

Mia's head snapped up, her interest piqued.

"Uh no. Do tell." she grinned. She couldn't pass up an opportunity to dig up some juicy dirt on her friend.

"Well, apparently the two of them like to play practical jokes on each other all the time. John was trying to get ready to leave the house one day. I think he was already running late or something. Anyway, he's looking all over the house and he can't find his car keys. So he accuses her of hiding them from him. And of course she denied it. So they keep going back and forth and he's still running behind, so he starts to get really pissed. They're standing in the kitchen and he accuses her of lying to him and they start yelling at each other. Then he picks up a pitcher of juice and throws it at the wall. There's glass and juice everywhere and he storms out of the room to the front door, jerks it open...and finds his keys still in the lock from when he'd come home the night before. He'd been in such a hurry to get inside, he had completely forgotten about them when he shut the door. I think he wound up sleeping on the couch for a month after that."

Mia burst out laughing, picturing the look on John's face when he discovered his keys. That certainly sounded like him alright. Taking another sip of her drink, she smiled, not feeling even a twinge of sympathy over her friend's discomfort. It served him right for being so hard headed. She wondered how many more similar stories she might be able to pry out of Zack before the night was through. Perhaps this date wouldn't turn out to be a total disaster after all.

**XXXXX**

Laughing, Mia leaned on Zack's arm as he walked her from the elevator to her hotel room door. She stopped in front of it as she fumbled in her purse for her key, and he turned to face her, watching her. Finally finding what she was searching for, Mia held up her new found treasure and Zack smiled at her, reaching out to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

"Thank you for tonight. I had a good time." he stated, his tone much more reserved than normal.

Mia smiled back at him.

"It was very nice." she stated softly.

Zack nodded in agreement.

"I know people think that I'm just some dumb surfer dude. And maybe I carry that act too far sometimes. But it's nice just to kind of be myself for a while." he stated.

Mia watched the color spread across his cheeks, seemingly embarrassed by his confession.

"You're not so bad of a guy...when you're...yourself." she replied thoughtfully.

He stepped closer, closing the distance between them and gently grabbed her hand. Mia watched as his gaze traveled over her face and settled on her lips. She knew what he was about to do, and the voice in her head warned her to stop him, to take a step backwards or to push him away, to do something to stall him. But she remained where she was, momentarily frozen, unable to bring herself to voice a protest. And when he brought his other hand up to cup her face and leaned in toward her, Mia could only close her eyes as she waited for the inevitable to happen.

It never did.

Instead, she heard someone behind her clear their throat.

She opened her eyes and saw Zack staring at something over her shoulder. Turning around, she followed his gaze, her heart leaping in her chest when she met Wade's icy stare.

"By all means, don't let me interrupt you two." he stated dryly, as they pulled apart.

Zack protectively stepped in front of Mia, uncertain of Wade's intentions. Wade smirked at his pathetic attempt at chivalry, as he sized up the smaller man. He quickly dismissed him, turning his attention instead to the woman standing behind him. He met Mia's gaze and she felt a chill run through her as his eyes took her all in. She watched him glance back at Zack and for a brief moment, she was afraid for his safety. Wade looked like he was ready to kill him.

"What do you want, Wade?" Zack asked, nervously. Mia suspected he hadn't failed to notice the violent look in Wade's eyes himself.

"What do I want?" Wade repeated thoughtfully, his gaze traveling back to Mia yet again. He shook his head. "Nothing. I just happened to be passing through and saw you two love birds standing here in the hallway. I just thought I'd stop and say...hello."

Mia narrowed her eyes at him. She could see through his little charade. Despite their argument several days previously, he'd been following her again. She wondered if he'd been watching them all night. She glared at him, restraining herself. She was helpless to say anything to him now. Not with Zack around to report every detail back to John.

Wade smirked at her and she fumed. He could sense her dilemma and he seemed to be enjoying her discomfort just a little too much for her liking.

"Well, now that you've said your peace, I think it's time you move on." Zack stated bravely.

Mia flinched when she saw Wade's cold stare turn back to the other man. She stepped forward, sliding her arm through Zack's.

"Good night, Wade. So nice of you to stop and say hello." She smiled up at him playfully, while her other hand ran suggestively up Zack's arm. She didn't fail to notice how Wade's jaw muscle tensed at her actions, how his fists clenched at his sides. Well, that was just fine by her. If he wanted to play games, she could play them too.

He stood speechless for a moment, his furious gaze traveling between the two of them. Then he turned away and stalked off down the hall.

"Wonder what that was all about?" Zack asked when he was gone, turning toward Mia.

"I have no idea." she replied, staring in the direction he had gone.

She turned her attention back to Zack, a sly smile creeping across her face.

"Well, where were we, before we were so rudely interrupted?" she asked, stepping closer to him.

Zack looked down at her with a smile, the encounter with Wade already forgotten. He reached out and cupped her face and leaned in, pressing his lips against hers. Mia wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, returning the kiss passionately. When they finally broke apart, Mia stepped away, and unlocked the door to her room.

"Good night, Zack." she smiled, as she stepped inside, leaving the stunned man standing outside in the hallway alone.

"Good night, Wade." she murmured, smiling as she leaned against the interior of the door.

Her actions had been deliberate, certain that the larger man had still been watching them. Well, that was okay. If he was going to spend his time following her, watching her every move, then she couldn't see why she shouldn't give him a show worth watching.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Mia looked up from the table where she had been sitting for the past two hours, squinting as the bright florescent lights reflected off the white tile floor, blinding her. Her head throbbed and she silently cursed herself for the alcohol she had consumed the night before. She didn't drink very often. And she should have known better than to make one of those rare occasions the night before an early autograph session. She flexed her hand, eyeing the long line that was still snaked around the aisles, disappearing at the back of the store. Only one more hour to go. She wondered if she would make it through the entire line by then.

As she hugged babies and posed for pictures and signed multitudes of t-shirts and posters, she tried not to let her thoughts from the previous evening distract her. Awakening that morning, she'd been absolutely mortified when she recalled her actions from the night before. Not only had she purposely led Zack on, but her actions had thrust him right in the middle of Wade's sights. She'd inadvertently put him in harm's way. And for what? A worthless attempt to make Wade...jealous? She didn't know why she had expected him to care to begin with. But something in his eyes had spurred her to action, and now she just wasn't sure what to do about any of it.

As the session wore down, Mia gathered her things to leave, and she checked her cell phone, not surprised to see she already had several messages. Zack was already calling her and she was positive that he would fill John in on all of the details of their date, if he hadn't already, including their unexpected encounter with Wade. Which meant she could expect a call - or several - from John too. The only person who hadn't contacted her was Kelly, and she had been strangely absent for the past couple of days. Mia was starting to get the feeling that she was purposely trying to avoid her.

Climbing into the waiting limo, she downed a bottle of water and two aspirin as the driver whisked her off to the next event. Thankfully, there was no show that night, but for some reason, corporate had booked her for a full day of autograph signings and press interviews. So much for having an easy day off. Leaning back in her seat, she closed her eyes, hoping a quick nap would help rejuvenate her before her next appointment.

**XXXXX**

Hours later, Mia collapsed into the limo for the last time, relieved to finally be headed back to her hotel room. She was tired and hungry and she had gotten little relief from the persistent pounding in her head. All she wanted was just to take a nice, hot shower and climb into bed.

Looking at her phone again for the hundredth time that day, she noticed she had two more messages from Zack and several missed calls from John. _Right on cue_, she thought, knowing he had probably already spoken with Zack by now. She pressed the button, turning the phone off. Right now, she didn't have the energy to talk to either one of them.

The limo delivered her to the hotel, and Mia dragged herself to her room, wasting no time in getting undressed and heading to the shower. The sooner she got done, the sooner she could go to sleep. Twenty minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, vigorously rubbing a towel over her wet hair to soak up the excess water. Pausing in front of the bed, she froze in place when she spotted the white piece of paper that was lying on the carpet just inside her doorway.

Looking around her room suspiciously, her eyes were immediately drawn back to the piece of parchment on the floor. It hadn't been there when she had entered her room. Of that, she was certain. She would've had to step over top of it to get inside. She stared at it for a long time, a nervous fluttering working its way up through her stomach. Hesitantly, she approached it and picked it up. Unfolding the thin sheet, she felt a chill run down her spine when she read the words written there.

_Storage room in basement. Midnight. W._

She reread the note, her hands suddenly trembling, then read it again a third time. Images from the previous night rushed through her mind, and she felt a sickening knot begin to tighten in her stomach. Wade had summoned her. And after last night, she knew he was not going to be in a good mood.

Glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand, she rolled her eyes when she saw that it was just after 10:00. She still had two more hours to wait. Two long, agonizing hours to mull over her fate. And to ponder what Wade's reaction would be.

Briefly, she considered ignoring his request. She could just toss the paper in the trash and pretend like she had never seen it. A little payback for the torment he had inflicted on her. But she knew she wouldn't. She couldn't. She'd known from the first time she'd read his note that she would go to him. And accept whatever punishment he saw fit to throw her way.

**XXXXXX**

Stretched out on the bed, Mia watched the numbers on the clock change minute by minute, the pace excruciatingly slow. She'd tried desperately to sleep, even for just a little bit, but her nerves were wound too tight. Contemplating what it was that Wade might want, her earlier fatigue had mysteriously vanished.

An unexpected knock on the door brought her quickly to her feet, and she glanced at the clock again, noting she still had some time left to go. Bewildered, she darted across the room and opened the door, the panic building within her when she saw John standing before her. She didn't have time to deal with him now! She had to find some way to get rid of him! And fast!

"Where have you been?" he asked, barging past her and into the room. "I've been trying to get in touch with you all day. Why haven't you answered my calls?"

He turned and eyed her suspiciously, and Mia opened her mouth to answer him but he cut her off, continuing with his questions.

"And just what the hell happened last night? Zack said you had another run in with Wade. What the hell was that all about?"

Mia ran her hands over her face, sneaking a peek at the clock again. Why did it seem as through time was suddenly moving at lightning speed?

"John, calm down." she replied, reaching out to him. "Zack and I had a good time last night. We had a nice, quiet dinner and then he walked me back to my room. Our conversation with Wade wasn't a big deal. He made a couple of smart remarks, then he left. Nothing happened. I'm fine. Now does that answer all of your questions?"

"You still didn't tell me why you've been ignoring me all day." he argued. "Is there something wrong with your phone?"

Mia sighed. "No, John. I had a busy day. Did you forget that I had that autograph signing today? Along with all those other appearances I had to make? I'm sorry I haven't talked to you, but I've just not had the time to call."

"And, honestly, I'm really tired right now. And I just want to go to bed." she continued. She glanced once again at the clock. It appeared as though she was quickly running out of time.

John stepped back and took a good look at her, for the first time noticing she was dressed for bed. Mia watched his shoulders sag.

"I'm sorry, Mia. I know it's late." he mumbled. "I just got worried about you when I didn't hear from you."

She smiled and shook her head. "It's okay. I appreciate you checking up on me."

John turned as if to leave, then stopped. He looked back over his shoulder at her.

"So...last night...with Wade. He didn't threaten you? He didn't try to...hurt you...in any way?"

_Not yet_, she thought to herself, hugging herself tightly. She shook her head again.

"No. He didn't threaten me." she replied. "He didn't do anything. I'm fine."

Seemingly satisfied with her response, John opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

"Good. I'll let you get some rest. We'll talk more tomorrow." he called out over his shoulder. Then he was gone.

Mia exhaled loudly in relief, as she turned and grabbed a change of clothes from her bag. She quickly slipped into a pair of jeans and a hoodie and ran a brush through her long hair. Glancing at the clock one last time, she panicked when she saw the time. She was going to be late!

**XXXXX**

Standing outside the closed door of the storage room, Mia looked around her nervously, as she tried to steady herself for what was to come. Raising her hand, she reluctantly knocked. She waited and with each passing second, her apprehension increased. What if she was too late? What if he was already gone?

The click of the lock informed her that this was not the case and she stilled, frozen in place, when Wade appeared in front of her. They stared wordlessly at each other for several seconds, then he stood aside and motioned for her to enter. Mia eyed him warily as she walked past him, and the sound of the lock being driven home seemed to echo loudly off the gray cinder block walls, making her all too aware that she was now locked inside a sealed room with a very dangerous and unpredictable man.

She prolonged looking at him as long as she could, but her curiosity finally got the better of her and she turned to face him, surprised when she saw he was standing on the opposite side of the small room, his back toward her. The anger that she expected to see from him was absent. At least on the surface. Then he turned and met her gaze and her breath caught in her throat. There was a storm of emotions brewing in his eyes, but the anger was there, hidden beneath other emotions that she couldn't quite read.

"You're late." he stated, his calmness catching her off guard. "I was starting to think you weren't going to come."

"I'm sorry. I...I had company..." she stammered, still unsure how to respond to his mild demeanor.

"John..." she added quickly, when he gave her an inquisitive glance, his eyebrow raised.

He nodded, seemingly content with her response. They both grew silent again, each lost in their own thoughts.

"About last night..." Mia started, unable to stand the heavy quiet that had settled over the room. "I didn't mean to..."

Her voice trailed off as Wade brought his head up to meet her gaze again. The look in his eyes frightened her beyond words.

Wade stared at her intently, as he ran a hand through his dark hair, watching the different emotions cross her face. She shouldn't be here with him. He should have never invited her here. But he'd let jealousy cloud his judgment, putting her in harm's way yet again. The images of Zack touching her …. kissing her... were burned into his brain and each time they flashed through his mind, he felt his blood boil. She was way too good for an uncivilized punk like Zack Ryder. He was almost as bad as John. And she deserved better. Much better.

Wade studied her, questioning why she had bothered to come to him tonight. It was obvious she was still seeking answers, the questions still evident in her eyes. Unfortunately, he had none to give her. None that he could freely share anyway.

But he wondered if that was the only reason she was here. There was something different about her this time. The determination...the stubbornness that he'd seen from her during their previous encounters was gone. Tonight, she seemed almost...defeated. Or at least resigned to accept whatever he did or did not say or do. He found himself stalking toward her slowly, watching as she backed away from him, her gaze never wavering from his. He told himself to stop, to walk away now before the damage was done. But he couldn't will his body to obey the sensible reasoning of his mind.

Mia watched fearfully as Wade approached her, and she backed away until she felt the coolness of the concrete wall against her back. Until she had nowhere else to go.

He towered over her and she stood, paralyzed, unable to pull away. Her eyes traveled over his broad chest and down his heavily muscled arms to his large hands, and she recalled the numerous times she had watched him in the ring, knowing how much damage he had done to his opponents with those same hands. He was a trained fighter and they were his weapon of choice. Mia knew at any moment, he could turn on her, and she could easily become his next victim. She remained perfectly still as she watched him raise one of them toward her, the back of his fingers trailing gently down her check, in a movement that both shocked and thrilled her. She closed her eyes, trembling, as his hand slid through her hair, cupping the back of her head, pulling her to him as he leaned in and captured her lips with his.

Startled, Mia's hands instinctively raised to his chest in a feeble attempt to push him away. But her resistance was short-lived, and she moaned softly against his mouth as she surrendered to him, her hands running across his chiseled body and up those strong arms, to lace around his neck.

Wade deepened the kiss, his free hand caressing her body, brushing across the swell of her breast and along her side, cupping her bottom as he pulled her closer to him. Mia could feel his hardness against her as he pressed her more firmly into the wall and she spread her legs further apart, allowing him to pull one of them up toward his hip, as he settled more perfectly against her. She wanted him closer to her, wanted to feel more of him, all of him, against her and she fought the urge to claw at his back as she tried to drive herself further in his arms.

"Mmmm...Wade..." she panted softly, as he surrendered her lips in favor of her neck, his breath tickling her skin as he kissed softly along her jawline up to her ear.

The soft whisper of her voice broke the spell. She felt him stiffen against her. And then suddenly, he was gone. Mia whimpered at the abrupt loss of his heat. She clung to the wall helplessly, her legs weakened and useless beneath her, watching as Wade turned away from her, his hand fisting in his hair.

"You should go." he growled softly, his breathing still labored. She could see his broad shoulders rising and falling with every breath he took, and she realized the kiss had affected him just as much as it had her.

She stood upright, hesitantly reaching out for him. "Wade? I..."

"NOW!" he commanded, the coldness that she'd grown so accustomed to rising again to the surface.

She jumped, startled by the harsh sound of his voice. Reluctantly, she obeyed him, and she staggered to the door and fumbled with the lock, finally succeeding in getting it open after several failed attempts. She slammed the door shut behind her as she left the room, her head spinning with a multitude of differing emotions. She willed her legs to carry her down the hallway to the service elevator, and once inside she collapsed against the wall, her fingers tracing over her swollen lips. Her body still felt as though it were on fire, a strange emptiness settling over her in his absence. All she wanted was to be back in his arms again, to let him calm the burning desire he had so unexpectedly kindled within her, to let him soothe the ache he had so cruelly inflicted upon her.

The carnal nature of her thoughts startled her back to reality. How could she ever let something like that happen? He was a fierce enemy to one of her closest and dearest friends. How could she ever hope to let herself make such a choice?

Wade was the one thing that she could never have. They both knew it. And there was absolutely nothing she could do to change that fact.

Dejected, she headed back to her room, mentally preparing herself for a long, fitful night, certain she would not be seeing any sleep anytime soon.

**XXXXX**

The dark haired man pressed himself deeper into the shadows as Mia exited the room and staggered toward the elevator. Minutes later, he watched as Wade also left the security of the secluded storage room, then paused and looked about him along the length of the hallway. The man held his breath as Wade glanced briefly in his direction, then relaxed as his gaze continued on past him, traveling further down the corridor. As Wade headed toward the elevators and made his way back upstairs, the man stepped into the dim light, a smug smile settling onto his face.

He now had all of the information he needed to finish the job he had started. A job that should have been completed weeks ago. As far as he was concerned, only one question remained. How long would he have to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike?


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks again for all the reviews! Please keep them coming! **

**Chapter 15**

Mia gave a tired sigh as she stared at herself in the mirror. She looked horrible. As she had predicted, sleep had eluded her and she had spent a long, agonizing night replaying the events from the storage room. She was more confused now than she had ever been before. She had no idea how to classify what had happened between her and Wade. Their shared kiss had been passionate. Intense. Forbidden. She knew that it was wrong. That she shouldn't have responded to him like she did. That she shouldn't want to experience it all over again. But she couldn't help herself. If it was so wrong, why had it felt so right?

His abrupt dismissal of her had left her reeling. She didn't know if she had done something wrong. Or maybe the reality of what they were doing had hit him. Either way, she needed to get to the bottom of things. She had to talk to him again. But right now, she didn't know how to even begin to approach him.

Sleepily, she did what she could do with her makeup to make herself look a little more alive, then headed out the door to see if she could find Kelly and maybe grab some breakfast. As she strolled slowly down the hallway, she wished she had someone she could talk to regarding her predicament. As much as she would love to, she knew she couldn't discuss it with Kelly. It wouldn't take her long to figure out who she was talking about. And she just couldn't take a chance that she might let it slip to someone else. Someone like John. But right now, she would have been grateful to anyone who could give her some insight into Wade's odd behavior.

As she exited the elevator, she saw Kelly across the lobby at the front desk, her suitcase behind her, apparently checking out of her room. Mia started across the floor toward her.

"There you are. I was hoping to find you." Mia said with a smile, as Kelly turned around in surprise.

"Hey. What's up?" Kelly replied. Mia couldn't help but notice that her tone seemed distant and her eyes kept darting toward the exit sign.

"Not much. I haven't talked with you in a couple of days and I thought maybe we could get some breakfast and catch up." Mia could tell that something was wrong with her. She just wasn't sure what.

Kelly hesitated. "Thanks but...actually...I have to..."

"Hey Mia." A deeper voice spoke up from beside them and Mia turned to see Zack approaching them.

He stopped beside Mia, giving Kelly a nod. "Hey, Kelly."

Kelly frowned and looked down at her feet, avoiding Zack's gaze.

"Uh...Mia. Could I talk to you for just a minute?" he asked, turning his attention back to her.

"Actually, Kelly and I were just on our way to breakfast. Maybe I can catch up with you later." Mia replied. She glanced at Kelly, silently pleading for her help.

"That's ok Mia. I really need to go anyway. I'll see you guys later." Kelly stated, her eyes flickering between the two of them before walking away.

Mia frowned as she watched Kelly quickly vanish out the door, then braced herself as she turned to face Zack again.

"Breakfast?' he asked, motioning over his shoulder.

Trapped, Mia had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

"Ok. Let's go." she murmured, dragging behind him as he led her to the door. At least it would give her a chance to talk to him. She had to get things cleared up with him before they got any worse.

**XXXXX**

"So I was starting to get worried when I didn't hear from you yesterday." Zack stated, as he wasted no time in devouring the eggs off his plate. "I thought you were trying to avoid me."

Mia suddenly found it hard to swallow. She had to end this before it got too far out of hand.

"Then I talked to John last night and he said you had all of those appointments yesterday." he continued. "You had me sweatin' there for a while but I'm glad things are still good between us."

Mia laid her fork in her plate, her appetite suddenly gone. "Actually Zack, I wanted to talk to you about that. About the other night..."

"Yeah. That was awesome wasn't it." he laughed. "It's been a while since I've enjoyed myself that much."

"It was nice, yes." Mia started, cautiously. She really didn't want to hurt his feelings. "But I wanted to apologize for...for how I acted. I didn't mean..."

Zack waved her off. "It's ok. You don't have to apologize for that."

"No, actually I do. You see..."

Zack cut her off, leaning over the table toward her. "Look, it's fine. I mean...I know some guys have a problem with girls being too...you know...aggressive and all. But personally, I find it hot. I mean that kiss was...wow!"

Mia stared at him in disbelief. "That's not what..."

He winked at her as he reached out and took her hand in his. "Don't worry. I promise your secret is safe with me. I won't tell anybody."

She sighed in exasperation, wishing he'd let her finish at least one sentence.

"No Zack...you're not listening..."

"Hey guys. Good to see you two enjoying a nice breakfast together."

Mia quickly withdrew her hand from Zack's grip as John slid into the booth beside of her.

"So, Mia, I hear the date went well."John winked at her, as he casually draped an arm over the back of the seat.

She glared at him, cursing him under her breath. She knew he was referring to their kiss, which she was sure Zack hadn't failed to mention.

"We had a nice time. Actually, we were just having a nice...PRIVATE...conversation about that. I'm sure you won't mind if we..."

"Oh really." he teased. "So this is a private meeting, huh? Well maybe I should leave you two alone then..." He moved as if to leave.

Zack motioned for John to remain seated. "No, it's ok bro. Stay and have some breakfast with us. Right Mia?"

John looked at Mia, who deflected the question by cramming another bite of food in her mouth. It was obvious she wasn't going to be able to finish her conversation with Zack anytime soon. As bad as she hated to, she'd have to put it off until a later time.

**XXXXX**

A couple of hours after breakfast, Mia pulled into the parking lot of a nearby gym, challenging herself to get in a decent workout despite her fatigue. As she stepped inside, she headed toward the treadmills, stopping in her tracks when she spotted Zack across the room. She muttered under her breath at the sight of him, certain that he should have been done with his workout by now. She turned around quickly in an attempt to avoid him, but it was too late. He'd already spotted her.

"Hey Mia! Wait up!" he yelled, jogging over to her. "I didn't see you come in. You been here long?"

"Uh..no. Actually I just got here." she replied, suddenly wishing she was invisible. She couldn't help but notice some of their co-workers were present and they had taken a sudden interest in their conversation. Slowly, she began to walk away, Zack following behind her, leading them toward an empty hallway, out of sight of the others.

"Cool." he nodded. "Hey, I wondered if you would want to ride with me to the arena later. I thought it might be a good chance for us to talk some more."

"Uh...well. Actually, I have some things I need to take care of later." she lied. "So it would probably be best if I just drive myself. But thank you for the offer."

Her rejection barely seemed to phase him. "Oh...ok. Well, I guess I'll see you there then."

Mia nodded. "Ok. See you there."

Before she could turn to walk away, Zack suddenly grabbed her and pulled her to him, reenacting their kiss from their previous date. When he finally pulled away, he gently touched her face and winked at her. "I'll see you later."

Stunned, Mia could do nothing but watch him leave. She was ashamed to admit it, but her first thought was that his kiss was nothing like Wade's. She supposed that if given enough time, she could find herself warming to his embrace. But it just wasn't the same. It wasn't that Zack was bad. Wade was just that good. The slightest touch from him left her feeling giddy and light headed, lighting every nerve in her body on fire. There was simply no comparison between the two men.

Frustrated, Mia bent over to pick up the gym bag she had carelessly dropped and as she stood and turned around, her eyes fell on Wade, who was standing at the opposite end of the hallway. And from the look on his face, he'd seen everything that had just happened between her and Zack.

"Wade?" Mia hesitantly reached out to him.

With a look of evident disgust, Wade turned around and exited the door behind him, slamming it open.

"Wade! Wait!" Mia gave a quick look around her to make sure no one was watching, then she took off after him.

She exited through the same door that he had and found herself standing in a empty basketball court. The lights were off, but the row of windows along the opposite wall allowed in enough daylight so that she easily spotted Wade on the other side of the room, stomping toward the exit. She called out to him again as he reached the door and to her surprise, this time he stopped.

"Please don't go." she pleaded as she jogged toward him, stopping when she was a few feet away. She could see his shoulders tense as he turned and glared at her.

"I'm sorry." she started cautiously, holding her hands out in front of her. "Please...it's not what you think."

"Really. Well, why don't you just explain what it is then." he growled at her.

Mia hesitated, trying to find the right words. "It wasn't me. He kissed me."

"I didn't see you try to stop him."

Mia closed her eyes and looked down at the ground. He was right. She should have stopped him.

"Then again, you don't seem to object to anybody who kisses you." he quipped.

Her head snapped up, shocked by the sudden contempt she heard in his voice.

"It's not the same thing. What happened just now...that was a mistake. Last night...with us...that was different." she argued. The thought that he might regret kissing her made her feel sick.

"Not very likely." he responded with a smirk. "One time might be a mistake. But twice? That tells an entirely different story."

"I'm not interested in Zack, Wade." she pleaded. "John set us up. We went on one date. I made a mistake when I kissed him that night. I've been trying to talk to him all day to get this mess straightened out..."

"Didn't look like talking to me."

Mia sighed. "That was him. He just...he caught me off guard, that's all."

"Well, in that case, if he really is the nuisance that you claim he is, maybe I need to have a little chat with him. I don't think I'd have a very hard time getting my point across."

Mia shuddered at the thought. She had no doubt that he would follow through with his threat if necessary. She couldn't let him hurt Zack because of her irresponsible behavior.

"No. Please let me handle it. I'll talk to him."

Wade scoffed at her and turned back toward the door.

"I swear, Wade. I promise I'll take care of it. But I have to do this myself ."

Wade made no sound in acknowledgment of her offer, but neither did he make a further effort to leave, which Mia hoped was an acceptance of her plea. The silence hovered over them, until Mia thought she would scream from the sheer oppressiveness of it. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him. So many things she wanted to hear him say. She reached out and lightly touched his arm.

He pulled away from her and heaved his bag further up on his shoulder. "I have to go."

"Wait." she whispered, as she closed the distance between them.

He paused, his back to her, his hand still on the door.

"What happened last night? With us?" She had to force the words from her mouth, but she couldn't leave there without knowing the truth.

Wade ducked his head then slowly turned to face her. Mia could tell his demeanor was instantly guarded, the look in his eyes warning her not to push the issue. Bravely, she ignored the glare he was giving her and pressed on.

"I mean...all of this...between us...I don't even know what THIS is." she continued. "You save me, you threaten me, you follow me, you push me away. And then...after...last night...I just don't know what it all means."

"You don't know what it means?" he questioned. "Well let me clear that up for you. THIS is nothing. There is no us. There will never be any us. Last night was a mistake. One that I will make absolutely certain won't happen again."

Shoving open the door, he stormed out into the sunshine, looking back at her as he called out over his shoulder.

"Stay away from me, Mia. I'm not good for you."

Completely floored, she could only watch as the door closed between them, hiding him from her view. She didn't have the strength to go after him. She was afraid if she moved, her legs would give way and someone would come along and find her crumpled on the floor in an emotional heap. Until that very moment, she hadn't realized how much she had wanted to hear him say the words. To give her just a glimmer of hope. Even if she knew it could never be.

His final words ran through her mind.

_I'm not good for you._

She didn't think she had ever disagreed with anything more. Without a doubt, she thought he could very well be the best thing that had ever happened to her in her entire life.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Sneaking into the arena, Mia carefully made her way to her dressing room, trying her best to avoid running into Zack. She'd already had an emotional day as it was, and she knew she needed to talk to him, but she didn't have the heart to do it just yet. She'd get through her match first, then try to catch him after the show.

Kelly glanced up as Mia opened the door and stepped inside the locker room, then quickly turned her attention elsewhere. Hesitating briefly, Mia sighed and walked over, taking a seat across from her friend.

"Kelly? I'm not sure what I might have said or done to offend you, but whatever it is, I'm sorry. You know I'd never do anything to hurt you intentionally."

Kelly remained quiet, her gaze fixated on the floor in front of her.

"Kelly? Please tell me what's wrong." Mia continued.

Reluctantly, Kelly faced her. "I'm sorry, Mia. I know I haven't been very...friendly...toward you the past few days. But it's not your fault. It's mine. I've just been acting really stupid. I hope you'll forgive me."

"Of course I will." she replied, sighing in relief. "But do you mind telling me what's wrong? Is it something I can help you with?"

Kelly hesitated, unsure how to vocalize her request. She really had no right to ask such a favor from her closest friend, not after the way she'd been acting.

"This is going to sound really crazy Mia...but...do you remember me telling you about that new guy that I was interested in?"

Mia stared at her thoughtfully for a moment, trying to recall the particulars of that specific conversation. "Yeah. I don't think you ever told me his name..."

Then the full realization hit her.

"Zack? Oh my goodness, Kelly! I am so...sorry. I had no idea..."

Kelly raised a hand, motioning for her to stop.

"It's okay. It's not like you did it on purpose or anything. I mean, you didn't even know..."

"I know...but...I just feel so bad. If I had any idea, I would have never let John talk me into going out with him" she replied, truly feeling horrible.

"Really, it's okay." Kelly stared at her for a moment, then broke into a grin. "So, tell me...what's he like?"

"Zack? Well...he's certainly...unique. That's for sure."

They both giggled and Mia reached out and patted Kelly on the arm.

"He seems like he would be a little...crazy." Kelly stated.

Mia smiled at her. "Actually, he's really sweet. And funny. I think you'd really like him."

The grin on Kelly's face faded. "So are you two...you know...still...?"

Mia reached out to reassure her. "No. Well, not really. I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet. But, no. There's nothing going on between us. He's really not my type."

"So...do you think I might have a chance with him?" Kelly asked, the relief visible on her face.

"I don't see why not." Mia said hopefully. "Maybe I can help."

"You'd do that for me? Even after how I've been acting?" Kelly seemed genuinely surprised by her offer.

"Of course. I'm going to try to talk to him later, after the show. I'll see what I can do."

"But what about you? I mean...I still feel bad that things didn't work out for you." Kelly replied. "I really wish you could find somebody too."

"Maybe someday" she murmured, as she recalled the various encounters she'd had with Wade and felt her heart constrict. "Anyway, I guess I should go get ready for my match. I'll see you in a bit."

As Mia walked away, she was grateful for the silver lining she'd suddenly found in the dark cloud that was Zack Ryder. She didn't really understand Kelly's attraction to the man, but if it was what she wanted, she'd do what she could to make it happen. And if things went well, then at least there would be two people in the world who could afford to be happy with each other.

**XXXXX**

"Hey. Got a minute?" Mia looked up from her book as John took a seat at the table across from her.

"I guess. What's up?"

"I haven't talked to you much lately. Just thought I'd catch up with you. I guess Zack must be keeping you pretty busy, huh?" he teased.

"Yeah. Busy hiding from him." she quipped sarcastically, as she slammed her book closed.

"But you two seemed to hit if off so well." he continued, still picking at her. "Seriously though, what's the deal? You two going out again anytime soon?"

"No. I know how much you'd like to see it, but it's not going to happen, John. So sorry to break your heart."

John sighed and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair and stared at her.

"I figured as much." he finally said. "Does he know yet?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. I was trying to talk to him this morning, before you so rudely interrupted us. I thought I'd wait until after the show was over. Maybe I can catch him back at the hotel or something."

He nodded in agreement.

"So, have you seen Barrett lately?" he finally asked.

Mia stared at him suspiciously, worried that somebody had seen them together at the gym earlier that morning.

"No. Why?" she asked warily.

"I don't know. It just puts me on edge...knowing that he seems to have taken such an...interest...in you."

"Please tell me you're not going to start this again." she warned.

"Mia, I know for some ungodly reason that I can't even begin to fathom, you don't want to think that he is out to get you. But I'm telling you, the guy is up to no good."

"John, we have been over this again and again. We don't know who was driving the car that night. You can't prove that it was Wade anymore than I can prove it wasn't him. And so what, he stopped Zack and I in the hall the other night and made a couple of smart comments. It's certainly not the first time he's done that to someone. I know you don't like the man, but I'm not willing to believe that he would be capable of such a thing without some kind of proof."

"Jesus, Mia. What kind of proof do you want? Maybe a picture of him standing over your dead body..."

"I don't understand why you are so certain that something is going to happen to me. Why would you think such a thing?" she argued.

John fidgeted in his chair, then leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table.

"The night that you hurt your leg...after my match, I went back out to the loading dock and took a look around." he stated, glaring at her. "You told me that you heard a noise. Some kind of a metal scraping sound. There were marks on the floor...where the bottom boxes were sitting...where they had scraped against the concrete."

Mia studied him, her curiosity peaked. "So what exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I don't think those containers fell by themselves. I think somebody made them fall."

She stared at him, giving his words time to register.

"Somebody is out to get you Mia. And if you don't want to think that it's Wade, then you tell me who the hell it is. Who else would have the motive to get rid of you?"

She continued to stare at him, but offered no reply to his question. As his revelation continued to sink in, she felt that familiar knot begin to form in her stomach again. She frantically tried to recall her conversation with Wade in the training room shortly after that accident, trying to remember any detail...a word...a look...anything that might betray his guilt. The only thing that stood out to her was his anger at her carelessness. Guilty was not a word that she would have used to describe him. In fact, he'd seemed to be genuinely concerned for her. But neither could she deny his erratic behavior over the past couple of months. Perhaps he had been lulling her into a false sense of security all along, urging her to let down her guard, giving him the perfect opportunity to strike.

What had been his last statement to her this morning?

_I'm not good for you._

Suddenly, Mia realized his words had taken on a new foreboding meaning.

**XXXXX**

Pacing nervously back and forth in her hotel room, Mia fought the urge to go in search of Wade. John's newest accusations had unnerved her more than she had cared to admit to him and that sickening feeling in her gut refused to go away. But she knew it would be pointless to try to find him. Wade had already made it clear that he wanted her to stay away from him. Besides, what would she possibly say to him?

_Hi. So sorry to bother you again. But I just have to know...have you been trying to kill me?_

_Who me? I'm afraid I'd have to say yes. But I hope you won't hold it against me._

"So stupid." she muttered under her breath, uncertain whether she was referring to the idea, the conversation or both.

_Like he'd really admit it if it was true_, she thought the herself.

Frustrated, she threw herself onto the bed and let loose with a scream into her pillow.

How could she be here, with her life potentially in danger, and all she could think about was this man? It just didn't make sense. When had he taken such a hold on her? She didn't want to let herself believe that it was true. He could have been standing next to her, with a gun pointed at her head, and she still didn't think she would believe he was capable of hurting her. Was she being foolish? Possibly. But what else could she do? What else could she think?

Dragging herself off the bed, she dug through her purse for some change.

_Chocolate_, she thought, trying to remember where she had seen the vending machines. _Chocolate always makes things better._

A few minutes later, she was standing in front of the vending machine, debating between a Snickers or Baby Ruth, when she felt someone grab her from behind. She squealed loudly as she broke free and whirled around, ready for a fight, a low growl of annoyance vibrating through the back of her throat when she saw who was standing there.

"You avoiding me again?" the blonde haired man asked playfully.

Zack. She had completely forgotten about Zack.

"No, I'm sorry. I just had some things come up this evening that I had to take care of." she replied.

"Ah, it's okay." he replied as he leaned in to kiss her. This time she anticipated his movements and she put her hands on his chest, stopping him. He stepped back, a little confused, but otherwise seemingly undeterred by her actions.

"Well, I'm glad a ran into you." he continued. "You know, we're going to be in Philly this weekend and I found out that Avenged Sevenfold is having a concert on Sunday night. I got a couple of tickets for the show and I wondered if you might want to stay in town for an extra day and go with me."

Mia frowned as she stared up at him. She really didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Oh...well...I appreciate the offer Zack. But...I can't go. I...already have plans." she lied.

"Oh...ok." he nodded in acceptance but Mia could see how disheartened he was at her rejection.

"But...you know. I heard Kelly talking about them the other day. She was saying how much she'd like to go to that concert. Apparently she's a really big fan." she added carefully.

Zack seemed to ponder her suggestion for a moment.

"You really think she'd want to go with me?" he finally asked.

Mia shrugged. "Sure. I don't see why not. You should ask her...see what she says. I'm sure you two would have a great time."

He nodded and she could see the wheels turning in his mind.

"Wait. You're sure about this? I mean...you'd be ok with me asking her to go with me?" he asked.

"It's fine, Zack. I think it would be a good thing for you." she replied politely.

"Ok. I'll ask her tomorrow then." he turned as if to go, then turned back to her. "Thanks, Mia."

"Good night, Zack." she smiled at him as she watched him disappear down the hallway.

"Well, that was certainly an original way to get rid of him."

Mia gasped and spun around, only to find Wade leaning against the wall, gazing at her intently. She eyed him warily, John's accusations echoing in the back of her mind, the knot in her stomach tightening. She suddenly found that she no longer had the desire to be alone with him in such close proximity.

"Mia? Are you ok? You don't look so well." he stated, pushing himself off of the wall. He moved closer, and Mia responded by taking a corresponding step backward in the same direction.

"I'm fine." she murmured, as she slowly continued to back away. "I have to go."

She spun around and quickly took off down the hall, toward her room, without bothering to even give him a glance over her shoulder. As Wade watched her flee, his brows pulled together in a frown, confused by her sudden change of attitude. He pondered her actions, recalling their conversation from earlier that morning. Perhaps it had made more of an impression on her than he had originally thought. His intentions had been genuine, but he hadn't meant for his words to come out sounding quite so cruel. But still, maybe it was for the best.

Now that she knew he was serious, perhaps she would be able to do what he couldn't.

And if keeping her distance from him kept her safe, then that would be the best possible thing for both of them.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Mia made her way down to the lobby to meet Kelly for breakfast, feeling fairly refreshed considering the night she'd just had. Sometime after one o'clock, she'd finally broken down and taken a couple of sleeping pills, in desperate pursuit of a few hours of peaceful relaxation. Her body felt rested, but upon awakening, the war that had been raging in her mind for the past several days was revived with an all-consuming fury. She didn't know if she had done the right thing by keeping her distance from Wade. After her discussion with John, her common sense told her yes. But her heart kept telling her something entirely different.

She did her best to repress her concerns as Kelly approached her and together, they made their way to the restaurant. They had no more than taken their seats, when Kelly started with the interrogation.

"So, did you talk to Zack last night?" she asked. "How did it go? He wasn't too crushed over the breakup, was he?"

Mia couldn't help but chuckle at her eagerness. It reminded her of a small child at Christmas time waiting to open her presents.

"Well, I did finally get to talk with Zack last night." she replied. "I guess things went ok."

Kelly frowned. "Was he upset with you? What happened?"

"I just didn't have the heart to come right out and tell him that I didn't want to see him anymore."

"Oh." Kelly replied, obviously disappointed.

"But..." Mia continued, "I did hopefully get the ball rolling in your favor."

"Really?" Kelly asked, surprised. "How?"

"He asked me to go to a concert on Sunday night. I told him that I couldn't go, but I suggested that you might like to go with him instead."

Kelly sat up straight, her eyes brightening. "What did he say? Did he say yes? Tell me!"

"If all goes well, you should expect to see him later." Mia answered. Kelly squealed, jumping up and hugging her.

"Thank you Mia! You don't know how much this means to me." she stated.

Mia laughed and pointed at her. "Just remember, it's your job to steal him away from me. That way, we all win."

"Don't you worry about that." she responded. "I've got it all figured out."

They ordered their breakfast as Kelly thought about what Mia had said.

"Hey? What concert are we going to?" she asked.

"Avenged Sevenfold."

"Who?"

Mia shrugged. "I have no idea. But you're a big fan. So do your research." she warned with a laugh.

They continued to eat their breakfast in peace, and as the waitress refilled their drinks and walked away, Mia turned back to Kelly, noticing that the smile she had been sporting all morning had suddenly disappeared.

"Kelly, everything ok?"

Kelly's gaze traveled to Mia, then back to whatever she'd spotted behind her. Reluctantly, Mia shifted in her chair and looked over her shoulder, her eyes falling on Wade and his crew, who were sitting a few tables away. Leaning back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, he had his gaze firmly fixated on her. Mia felt a chill run through her as she turned back to Kelly.

"Do you think we should leave?" Kelly asked nervously.

Mia shook her head. "No. We'll leave when we're done."

They finished eating mostly in silence, the lighthearted mood from earlier erased by the feeling of dread that the Nexus members had brought with them as they entered the room. And when Kelly paused mid-bite, Mia didn't even bother asking her what was wrong. She could already sense Wade's presence beside her, even before he sat down in the empty seat next to her.

"Good morning, ladies." He spoke to both of them, but his eyes never left Mia's face.

"Would you excuse us?" he asked, glancing at Kelly. Although veiled as a question, his tone had no trouble conveying the nature of his command. Kelly gave a wary glance at Mia as she rose from the table.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." she stated, squeezing Mia's shoulder reassuringly before walking away.

"What the hell are you doing?" Mia hissed, trying not to raise her voice to the other patrons in the restaurant. "You're going to get us caught..." she added, the words slipping out before she realized what she was about to say.

"I told you yesterday, there is no us." he warned again.

"You also told me to stay away from you. But I see you're still ok with following me around." she argued. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to say...thanks."

"Thanks for what?" she asked, rubbing her head. His unpredictable behavior was really starting to wear her down.

"For doing what you said you were going to do." He fingered a loose strand of her hair, twirling it around his finger absentmindedly as he spoke. "For listening to me." he added after a moment. "It's a nice change."

"Yeah? Well, don't get used to it." she taunted, drawing a smirk from him.

He pulled gently on her hair, urging her to look at him. Reluctantly, she did so, her heart quickening when she saw the way he was gazing at her. It was the same look she'd seen the night they'd been together in the storage room. She watched his eyes scan over her face before dropping to her lips and she licked them nervously, fearful that he was going to pounce on her right there in the middle of the restaurant. But before he could make a move, Kelly reappeared, taking her seat, and Wade quickly released the length of hair from his grasp.

"I guess we're done here then." he murmured, nodding a goodbye to both of them before sliding wordlessly out of the chair and returning to his own.

"Should we go?" Kelly asked, visibly shaken, as she watched him rejoin his group.

Mia nodded, and as they rose to leave, she thew an annoyed glance his way, not failing to notice the smirk that teased at the corner of his mouth, taunting her. She growled in frustration as she exited the restaurant, a noise which Kelly did not fail to hear.

"Are you ok?" she asked, glancing at Mia out of the corner of her eye. "What was that about back there? Was he threatening you again?"

"No...it was just...nothing." Mia stopped her. "Do me a favor. Please don't mention anything to John about this. He's already freaking out over Wade to begin with and if he finds out about this, he's gonna explode. I really can't take anymore of his rants. Just keep this between us. Please."

Kelly hesitated. "I don't know Mia. I mean if something happened to you and he found out I knew about this..."

"Nothing is going to happen to me." she pleaded. "Just please, promise me you won't say anything."

"Okay, I won't say anything to him." Kelly agreed. "But you have to promise me that you'll be careful."

"I promise I'll be fine." she answered, as she followed Kelly out the door.

Mia found that was a particular promise that she was beginning to make just a little too often for her liking. She only hoped it was one promise that she wouldn't ever have to break.


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks again for all of the adds and reviews! I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 18**

Backstage before Raw, Mia headed to her dressing room, excited for the night's show. Tonight was her in ring return to competition. Although she'd done some various backstage promos, this would be her first match since the injury to her leg. The good news was that she was more than ready to get back to action. The bad news was that she was facing Beth Phoenix. She knew it was going to be an uphill battle but she felt more than ready for the challenge.

She opened the door to the room and stepped inside, only to find Kelly and Zack locked in a cozy embrace. They pulled apart as she entered the room, a blush creeping into Kelly's face as she guiltily glanced down at the floor.

"Should I come back later?" Mia asked, taking in the pair standing before her.

Zack smiled and put his arm around Kelly, pulling her to his side. Kelly returned his smile, gazing up at him with the same enamored look she'd been giving him ever since he had asked her to go out with him. Mia joined in, smiling back at them, thinking that she had never seen a more perfectly matched couple.

"Nah. Come on in. I have to go anyway. Got to get ready for the show." Zack replied.

Mia dropped her bag to the floor as he bent to give Kelly one last kiss.

"See you later beautiful." he murmured before heading to the door.

"See you later Mia." he added as he passed her. As the door closed behind him, Mia turned back to Kelly giving her an inquisitive glance.

"So, it looks like things are going good with you two, huh?" she asked.

"You have no idea. He's just so...awesome!" Kelly gushed, taking a seat in a nearby chair. "He's sweet and sexy and funny and he's just...perfect!"

Mia thought she could successfully argue her last point, but considering Kelly seemed so happy, she let it go. She didn't understand the attraction between them, but if it worked, why mess with it?

"I'm glad things are working out for you." Mia sighed longingly. In some small way, she was jealous of her friend's happiness. She wondered if she would ever find her own.

"So, what about you?" Kelly asked, her smile fading. "Have you had any more problems with Wade lately?"

"No. I haven't heard from him." she replied, strangely saddened by the confession.

She hadn't talked with him since their strained encounter at the restaurant almost two weeks earlier. She'd caught a rare glimpse of him on three separate occasions since then, each time she'd felt his eyes boring into her, relishing her from afar. But he'd made no move to approach her. And the one time she had drawn close to him, he had turned and walked away before she could reach him. She suspected that he was still following her, a thought that both annoyed and frightened her. But apparently, whatever problem he'd had with Zack had been calmed by her deflection of his advances and he hadn't felt the need to make such an ass out of himself since then.

"Well I guess that's a good thing." Kelly stated and Mia shrugged, a signal for her to drop the issue.

"So, are you excited about your match tonight?" Kelly asked, taking the hint and changing the subject.

"I am. A little nervous but I'm looking forward to it." she replied. "It will be good to get back at it and put all this accident talk behind me."

Kelly smiled at her. "I'm sure it will be. I'll be rooting for you."

She stood and headed for the door. "I've got some things I need to do. I'll catch you later. And Mia, please be careful out there."

Mia nodded, an odd feeling of anxiousness suddenly settling over her. She was more than ready to move forward, leaving the fear and confusion that had plagued her for months behind her. She hoped that tonight would be a fresh start for her and, hopefully, the beginning of something much more rewarding.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Mia stared down the large blonde across from her as the referee signaled for the bell. They had wrestled each other before, and she was a formidable opponent, but standing before her now, Mia had to admit she was much less intimidated than she had been the last time they'd faced each other. She figured after challenging a man as large as Wade on a regular basis for the past few months, the blonde headed woman didn't seem like much of a threat. As Wade's name popped into her mind, Mia wondered if he would take the time to watch her match, or if he was busy showering after his own. The image of him naked in the shower flashed through her mind and caused her to falter, giving Beth an early advantage. She knocked Mia to the mat, but Mia managed to roll away as she followed through with an elbow.

Both women made it back to their feet, circling each other before locking up again. This time Mia managed to get Beth into a headlock and she held on tightly until Beth pushed her away and into the ropes. Mia bounced off the ropes and came back at Beth, aiming a blow at her head, but Beth was able to strike first, and Mia fell to the mat again. Beth straddled her, throwing a couple of punches to the head, which only served to anger Mia. Kicking her legs, she reached up and pulled the blonde's hair at the same time, flipping them over so that she was now on top. She responded with a couple of good hits of her own, before the referee pulled them apart.

They both rose from the mat, and Beth, now angered that she had been unable to earn a quick win, begin to hurl a barrage of angry insults at her smaller opponent. Mia challenged her to strike, and when Beth refused to follow through, Mia went for her instead. She took two steps forward before the blonde jumped through the ropes and out of the ring, much to Mia's surprise. She didn't think she had ever seen Beth run from a challenge before.

Moments later, her confusion was multiplied when she felt someone grab her from behind. She felt herself being lifted in the air and seconds later, she was being tossed to the ground, the back of her head striking hard against the mat. Stars exploded behind her eyes and she moaned as the pain from the impact made it's way through her body.

Her vision blurring, Mia lay flat on her back in the middle of the ring, trying to make sense of what was happening. She suspected a sneak attack from Beth's good friend Natalya, but she wondered how the woman had managed to pick her up so effortlessly. A hazy shadow stepped into her field of vision and she blinked, trying to focus on the person in front of her. She opened her eyes and instead of the second blonde that she had anticipated, she saw CM Punk standing over her, a lead pipe held over his head in a tight grip.

Time seemed to stand still as she saw him swing and somehow she managed to roll out of the way, the object swishing through her hair as it barely missed her scalp. The heavy thud it made as he contacted with the mat startled her into motion. She scrambled for the ring apron, feeling like she was moving in slow motion, crying out when she felt him grab her ankle and pull her back toward the center of the ring. She rolled onto her back again, kicking at him with her free leg, just in time to see him tackled by two members of the security team. She could see him struggling with them as they rolled around on the mat, but she wasn't about to wait around to see who would win the impromptu match. She rolled out of the ring, and shadowed by the referee, she fled up the ramp and behind the curtain, clutching the back of her head.

As she rounded the corner, she was met by John, who had apparently been on his way out to save her.

"Are you ok?" he asked, grabbing a hold of her. He spun her around, examining her head, searching for any sign of blood.

"I'm ok." she replied shakily, both of them turning to look at the referee as he stopped next to them.

"What the hell is he doing out there?" John asked. "He's going to get somebody killed.!" The referee could only shrug in confusion.

Four more security team members darted past them and through the curtain, headed toward the ring, followed shortly behind by John Laurinaitis and Arn Anderson, but they could only catch bits of their conversations as they passed.

"...can't get him under control..."

"...lost his mind..."

"...is he on something..."

John watched as they disappeared down the ramp, as Mia tried to stop the tremors that had suddenly taken a hold of her. She needed to sit down. She turned around in search of a chair, her eyes growing wide when she saw Wade stalking toward her.

In a panic, she looked back at John, who was still engrossed in conversation with the referee. She glanced back at Wade, shaking her head, trying to do something, anything, to deter him from approaching her.

_No, no, no! Not here!, _she thought, willing him to hear her silent pleas. He couldn't do this to her now!

If he'd seen any trace of panic on her face, it didn't dissuade him from his mission. He continued on, stopping directly in front of her. He reached out, his large hand encircling her wrist.

"We're leaving. Now." he stated, his voice grim, as he began to pull her along behind him, not giving her a chance to respond. Startled by his strange reaction, Mia was unable to voice a protest. Then she felt another hand clamp down on her free arm, jerking her backwards, halting their escape.

"Get your hands off of her. She's not going anywhere with you." John growled. He stepped forward, pulling Mia to the side as he challenged Wade.

"We don't have time for this now. If you insist on a fight, then get out there and distract him so that we have a chance to get away." Wade argued, pointing in the direction of the ring. "We're leaving."

Stunned, Mia studied the expression on Wade's face, fear suddenly gripping her. On the surface, he was calm, but she could see the panic and uneasiness in his eyes. She didn't know what was happening, but something was wrong.

"Damn it, I told you you're not taking her anywhere. Now get your hands off of her." John pulled on her again, trying to free her.

Mia glanced at John, then back at Wade and their eyes met, an unspoken plea shared between them. She felt his grip on her wrist tighten as John continued his attempts to free her.

She moved suddenly and with a flick of her wrist she was free from Wade's grasp. Before he had a chance to react, Mia turned to John, placing her now free hand on his chest.

"John, stop." she stated calmly. "It's ok. Please listen to him. Do as he says."

Alarmed by her demands, his eyes traveled between the two of them as she turned back to Wade, prepared to follow him. He quickly stepped forward, reaching for her again.

"Mia, have you lost your mind. You can't leave with him! It's suicide!" he yelled, as she managed to avoid his grasp.

Wade stepped forward, coming between them.

"I'm the only one here who can keep her safe." he argued, once again taking Mia by the arm. "If you want to help, then be the distraction that we need."

Even as they spoke, the commotion from the ring suddenly became louder, and they all glanced nervously at the curtain, the sense of panic that seemed to surround them intensifying along with the noise. Wade tugged impatiently at Mia's arm.

"Please John. Help us. Just do as he says." Mia repeated before allowing Wade to escort her away, leaving a stunned John behind. Hearing more shouts from the ring, he turned and ran in the direction they had come, intent on getting some answers from somebody before the night was out.

Wade gripped her tightly by the upper arm as he led Mia down the hallway, and she nearly had to jog to keep up with his large stride. He approached the hallway where her dressing room was located and despite his obvious reluctance, he stopped.

"You have exactly thirty seconds to grab whatever the hell you need." he growled, releasing her arm.

Without offering an argument, Mia sprinted through the door and Kelly jumped up, startled, as she barreled into the room.

"Mia? What's wrong?" she asked, watching in confusion as Mia grabbed up her things and shoved them into her bag.

"Find John. He'll explain everything." she muttered, before darting back out the door, leaving a confused Kelly alone in the room.

Back in the hallway, Wade lead them toward the parking lot, taking her bag from her as they approached his car.

"Get in." he ordered, motioning toward the passenger side of the car.

Mia did as she was told, sliding into the seat and fastening her seat belt, as he tossed her bag into the back seat, then climbed in behind the wheel.

He started the car and maneuvered his way out of the arena parking lot, onto the main road, heading toward the highway. As he drove her away into the night, Mia stared out at the empty blackness before her, questions swirling through her mind. She wasn't sure what had suddenly made her trust Wade so blindly, but she hoped that she hadn't just made the biggest mistake of her life.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Silence. The weight of it hung over them until the tension in the car was nearly unbearable. Not a sound had passed between them since their frantic flight from the arena. As the minutes and the miles had passed by, Mia had waited patiently for some kind of explanation or at least some indication of what his intentions might be. Anything that might alleviate some of the apprehension that continued to build within her with every additional mile they traveled. But as of yet, he hadn't uttered a single word.

Alternating her attention between the endless ribbon of pavement stretched out before them and the large, brooding man beside of her, she had tried desperately to keep track of their location, but Wade's erratic travel patterns had made that task impossible. She read the various road signs as they flashed by, searching for clues to where they might be headed, but that, too, proved to be futile. He didn't stay on any one road long enough for her to map out any kind of a plan.

Even as she tried to pinpoint their location, she studied him from the corner of her eye, sneaking an occasional glance when she hoped he wasn't looking. The lights from oncoming traffic revealed the rigid set of his jaw, the glowering look on his face, his crushing grip on the wheel. His every movement reflected the fury that she could see in his eyes, a violent storm brewing inside those mesmerizing blue-green orbs. Everything about him warned her that she should be afraid. But the fear that should have consumed her was strangely absent.

"What happened back there?" she finally asked softly, desperate for an end to the silent torture.

She heard Wade exhale loudly, as though he'd been holding his breath, waiting for her to speak. He glanced at her momentarily, taking his eyes off the road for the first time since they'd gotten in the car, but he remained silent.

"Why did Punk attack me?" she continued, undeterred by his silence.

His gaze fixed in front of him, she could see him hesitate. "I don't know..."

"Don't." She turned and glared at him, cutting him off, her own anger rising to the surface. "Don't you dare lie to me. He just tried to kill me. And I want to know why."

She watched him take another deep breath, his hands shifting on the wheel. "I can't..."

She turned her attention back to the road in front of them. "Stop the car."

His head swiveled toward her questioningly. "Why?"

"Because I'm getting out." she argued. "Stop the car."

"You'll do no such thing." he replied, shaking his head. Rebelling against her demand, he increased the speed.

"Then tell me where we are going. Where are you taking me?" she challenged.

"Someplace safe."

"Where?" she questioned.

"Mia, please just trust me..."

She chuckled sarcastically as she stared out the passenger side window. She felt his eyes on her again. "You expect me to trust you, but you can't trust me enough to tell me where we are going?"

"It has nothing to do with trust." he argued.

"Then why won't you tell me?"

His frustration erupted in a low growl. "Because the less you know, the safer you'll be."

"Safe from what? Why are we running away?"

Mia watched as one hand left the wheel to run through his hair, a habit she had learned revealed the depth of his frustration. He turned to her, their eyes meeting, hers pleading with him for answers she was desperate to hear. She shivered involuntarily, whether it was from his cool demeanor or the chilly night air, she wasn't sure. She was still dressed in her wrestling gear, which didn't cover nearly as much skin as she would currently like, and she hugged herself, rubbing her hands along her arms to warm them. Without taking his eyes from the road, Wade reached behind her seat and gripped his jacket, placing it in her lap. He leaned forward and flicked the heat on as she tucked it around her.

"Thank you." she whispered softly, as she closed her eyes and dipped her head, breathing in his scent. A faint trace of his cologne lingered on the fabric.

He offered no response, and they grew silent again, each lost in their own thoughts, as they drove further into the unknown.. She watched his every movement, taking note each time he stole a quick glance in her direction.

"I'm sorry."

His voice finally broke the lengthy silence, startling her.

"For what?" she murmured.

"For everything. I know things seem a little crazy right now..."

"Please tell me what's happening." she pleaded with him softly and he cursed the fear her heard in her voice.

It's not so simple Mia." he stated, his gaze traveling between her and the road. "Things …...are not what they appear to be."

He glimpsed at her and saw her staring back at him, waiting anxiously for him to continue. Sighing, he realized that she would not be satisfied with anything less than a complete explanation. He wondered if she was prepared to hear the full truth, visualizing himself having to drag her away kicking and screaming by the time he was done.

"I...am not what I appear to be." he added.

He glanced toward her again, searching for the panic that he expected to see. But outwardly, she still appeared calm, her eyes boring right through his into the depths of his soul. Those gorgeous, damn blue eyes that stripped away every ounce of his self-control every time she looked at him. If she only knew what kind of power she was capable of wielding over him...

He struggled to keep his thoughts on track.

"I was hired to do a job." he stated calmly, watching her. "Undercover."

She frowned, considering his words.

"Like a cop?" she asked finally.

He shook his head. "No. I'm not a cop. My work is not always...legitimate."

"So...undercover?" she inquired. "So, you're like...a...a spy?"

He smirked slightly. "We'll call it that."

The vibration of her laughter surprised him. She shook her head as she turned to look out the passenger window, the sound dying off when she turned back to him and saw that he was not smiling.

"Wait...you're serious?" she asked incredulously, shifting in her seat so she was facing him.

"Very." he stated dryly, biting back a grin. He found her eagerness to disagree with him frustratingly amusing.

The quiet rumble of the tires and the pounding of his heart were the only audible sounds radiating from within the car and his dread grew with every passing second of her silence.

"What was the job you were supposed to do?" At the sound of her voice, Wade found himself releasing the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

Mia watched him patiently as he seemed to struggle for the right words to answer her question.

"Well, to put it simply, I was hired to investigate Vince McMahon's business practices." he replied.

"Vince? Why would someone want you to investigate him?" she asked.

"I was hired by some of his prime investors who are... concerned... that he has been using his business for the operation of less than legitimate purposes."

"Drugs?" she suggested, pondering his accusation.

"Drugs. Money laundering." he agreed, gauging her reaction. "It appears as though the company's frequent travels across the country have given Vince plenty of...opportunities... to diversify his investments."

"So it's true then? I can't believe that he would jeopardize his family's business like that."

"Greed can make people do strange things Mia. You wouldn't believe some the things I've seen people do just to acquire a few extra dollars."

She shrugged in agreement. "So you've been spying on him all this time? Ever since you got here?"

"Yes. I've been watching him. Gathering information. I report everything back to them. And they do with it what they will. An eventual criminal investigation, I would surmise."

"And Punk?" she asked softly. "Is he involved too?"

"Apparently so. We've suspected for a while that Vince had someone helping him. We just didn't know who. But it makes sense. These guys travel all over the country, they very rarely stay in one place longer than a night, and their frequent travel schedules would arouse very little suspicion if someone decided to investigate them. You find somebody you trust, promise them a good payday, and let them do the dirty work for you. They deliver the goods, then disappear and move on to the next town. You couldn't ask for a better set up, actually."

Mia grew silent again, staring out into the night as she processed the information that he had just given her. Her mind spinning with his revelations, there were so many questions that she wanted to ask...

"Why me?" she whispered softly. "Why did Punk come after me?"

He couldn't avoid it any longer. This was the moment he'd been dreading. The moment when she turned on him and blamed him for everything that had gone wrong these past few months. The reason she had nearly been killed. He searched the deep recesses of his mind, trying to think of any excuse that he could give her in place of the truth. But his imagination failed him. She deserved nothing less than the truth. And he was in too deep to turn back now.

Wade swallowed hard.

"I made them come after you." he murmured softly, his eyes meeting her. "It's all my fault."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Mia felt as though someone had punched her in the stomach. Her breath left her in a rush as she processed his words. Had John actually been right? Had Wade really been behind everything all along? She struggled to recall every single conversation she'd had with Wade. Every comment he'd made. Every warning he'd issued. Every look he'd given her. Had she really been so blind that she'd missed all the signs?

She tore her eyes away from his, staring instead out the window in front of her, trying not to reveal the shock and disappoint she felt at his confession. But it was too late. Wade had already seen it all; every single emotion as it crossed her face. He couldn't blame her for being angry with him. After all, his actions had nearly cost her her life. The only thing he could do now was keep her safe. Protect her from those that threatened to harm her. And once those threats had been successfully eliminated, he would have no choice but to finally let her go. Maybe then she could have some semblance of a normal life.

"I don't believe you."

Her whisper of a voice seemed to echo loudly through the quiet interior of the car.

"You don't believe what?" he asked, confused, his eyes lingering on her.

"I don't believe that it was your fault." she stated softly. "I can't believe that you would do anything to intentionally hurt me."

He let her words sink in, unsure if he should be grateful or angry with her for the way she seemed to trust him so innocently.

"What happened that night? The night that you first saved me?" she continued. "I didn't see you there...before the accident. And you disappeared so quickly afterward. Where were you? Why were you there?"

She was looking at him so earnestly, desperately waiting for answers to questions that she shouldn't have to ask. The rage began to work it's way up his spine, his hands clamped tight on the steering wheel at the thought of her being put in harm's way. The fact that she was involved in this at all infuriated him to no end.

"I was there that evening, hiding near the truck that was parked out back. You didn't see me. But I could see you." He glanced at her again and saw her watching him intently.

"I had a scheduled meeting that night...with an...associate." he continued. "I told you that we suspected Vince was working with someone. This individual had supposedly obtained the identity of that person. We were to meet there and exchange information."

Wade paused for a moment, as the events of that night ran though his mind.

"But you said earlier, you didn't know who was helping Vince." Mia reminded him, trying to make sense of what he was telling her. "If you met with this...person...why wouldn't you have known that?"

"I didn't know, because she never showed." he replied.

"She?" Mia was stunned by his revelation, unable to ignore the pang of jealousy she felt at the suggestion that there might be another woman involved.

Wade nodded. "She never showed." he repeated. "But you did."

Mia could sense some kind of hidden implication behind his words and she struggled to comprehend his meaning.

"Apparently it was a setup. I assume they realized their mistake and had planned to take her out before she could divulge any of the information she had obtained. Maybe they hoped to take me out too." he stated. "But whatever the plan, they got it wrong."

He gauged her reaction, sensing that she was still having difficulty processing what he was telling her.

"They thought you were her, Mia. That's why they tried to kill you that night."

Even though she already knew her life had been in jeopardy, just to hear Wade say the words out loud made her blood run cold.

"But I thought you said it was your fault?" she finally asked, recalling his earlier confession. "It's not your fault that I showed up that night. It was just bad luck. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Maybe so. Maybe that first night _was_ just bad luck." he stated calmly. "But not the other times. Not the other accidents. Those were all my fault."

"I don't believe you." she repeated, emphasizing her earlier statement. "I can't believe you had anything to do with any of it."

"But it's true." he argued. "I should have stayed away from you Mia. If I had, they might have realized their mistake and left you alone. But every time that I saw you...every meeting we had, every word that passed between us...it just reinforced what they already thought was true. I knew there was a good chance that they had learned my identity and that someone would be watching. I knew that it was dangerous for both of us. But I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't stay away from you. If I had, they might have forgotten all about you. And you'd be safe right now."

"But I am safe right now. I'm with you." she stated softly, smiling faintly at the look of surprise that crossed his face. "Besides, what if you were wrong? What if you left me alone...and they came after me anyway? What would I have done then?"

Frowning, Wade forced himself to face her, mulling her questions over in his mind. In a way, he knew she was right. There was no logical reason for him to expect that they would have simply let her walk away. And he would never be able to live with himself if he had abandoned her and something bad had happened to her. Perhaps it _was_ for the best that he had stuck around.

"Wade?" she started, turning toward him again.

"Stu."

"What?" she questioned.

"Stu." he repeated. "That's my name. My...real...name. Stu Bennett."

"Oh." Mia frowned as she settled back into her seat. She didn't know why she was so startled by the revelation. Of course he wouldn't use his real name. Not with his line of work. But still, she was surprised that she hadn't thought about it sooner.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. You were saying?" he asked, encouraging her to continue.

"No. I mean, I was just thinking..." she frowned, chewing at her bottom lip. "You said that your...associate...that she never showed up that night. But haven't you talked to her since then? I mean she would have simply scheduled another meeting or something, wouldn't she?"

Mia couldn't deny that the thought of Wade...Stu...and this woman together disquieted her.

"No. We haven't talked." he replied, his gaze firmly fixed on the road. "She hasn't been seen or heard from since that night."

She knew she should drop it. Just let it go. But she couldn't help herself. "What happened to her?"

Stu sighed. "Nobody knows. I assume somebody got to her."

"Oh." It seemed like such an unsuitable response, but she didn't know what else to offer.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked, suddenly desperate to change the subject. Her curiosity grew as Stu took yet another exit off the highway they had been traveling.

"Right now, we need to find somewhere safe to stay for the night." he replied, slowing his speed as he maneuvered onto a more narrow road. "We'll deal with everything else in the morning."

With a least some of her questions answered, Mia found herself finally able to relax a little. Stu seemed to have things under control, so who was she to question his abilities. After all, he'd managed to keep her alive so far. She reminded herself that this was his job. If anybody could be successful in keeping her safe, it would be him.

He drove them further along the cramped two lane road that curved and twisted through clusters of trees, leading them further and further away from the larger towns and cities that were now far behind them. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the bright reflection of lights began to appear in the sky ahead of them. It wasn't long before the small town cropped up around them and when the hotel sign came into view, Mia wasn't sure whether to be relieved or concerned.

"We're staying here?" she asked skeptically, as she took it in.

It was a hole-in-the-wall kind of place, not one of the large chain businesses that she had grown accustomed to during her frequent travels. It reminded her of a hunting lodge, the exterior constructed in the likeness of a log cabin, a mixture of old-world country charm and a backdrop for a B-rated horror movie. The parking lot was well-lit, but mostly empty, and the fact that there were not many people around disturbed her.

"It looks empty." she stated, her nervousness increasing. For some reason, she felt much more secure being surrounded by a larger crowd.

"That's the idea." Stu replied, as he pulled into the lot and parked the car. "The fewer people that see us, the better off we'll be."

He grabbed a couple of papers from above the sun visor.

"Lock the doors as soon as I get out." he stated, reaching for the door handle. "Stay put. Don't you dare think about getting out of this car."

He gave her a stern look before opening the door and stepping onto the pavement. Mia did as he asked, locking the doors behind him, and she hunkered down in her seat, trying to remain as invisible as possible as she watched him through the window. He positioned himself so he could keep the car in view as he filled out the required paperwork, sending frequent glances in her direction as he surveyed their surroundings. Mia found that she couldn't breath easily until he was back in the car beside of her.

"If anyone asks, we're married." he stated as he pulled the car toward the middle of the building, in front of their room.

_Of course we are. That's the way it always is in the movies, right?_, she thought to herself, then frowned when she looked at the building again. _Right before the guy with the chainsaw bursts into your room and kills you._

Oblivious to her rampant thoughts, Stu climbed out of the car and walked around to open her door. Grateful for a chance to finally stretch her legs, she let him escort her to the door, and she stepped aside, allowing him to enter the room first and turn on the light.

"I apologize for the sleeping arrangements, but it's all they had. And there's no way I'm letting you stay in a room by yourself tonight." he murmured over his shoulder as she entered the room behind him.

Mia swallowed hard at the sight of the solitary bed in the middle of the room. Of all the things she had tried to prepare herself for, this was not one of them. She closed the door, watching him, as he made a quick sweep of the room.

"Stay here. I'll go get our bags." Her eyes traveling back to the bed, she nodded at him as he passed by her.

In a few moments, he returned, carrying both of their bags with ease. He sat them down on the floor before turning to lock the door behind him, then double-checked the locks on the door and the windows. Satisfied that everything was secured, he turned back to her.

Trying not to focus on the fact that she had no choice but to share a bed with this man, Mia turned away from him quickly and rummaged through her suitcase, looking for some suitable clothes to sleep in. Even though it was late, she was desperate for a shower. She could still feel Punk's slimy hands on her and she wanted nothing more than to scrub her skin clean and wash away all traces of him from her body.

"I'm going to take a quick shower..." Her voice trailed off when she turned back to Stu, just in time to see him pull a gun from his bag and place it on the table beside the bed.

Taking note of her sudden silence, he followed her stunned gaze, then frowned.

"It's for protection, Mia. To keep us both safe."

Mia nodded hesitantly, and without offering another word, disappeared into the bathroom.

Her hands shaking, she peeled off her wrestling gear, wondering if she would ever be able to wear this particular outfit again. She doubted that she would ever feel comfortable doing so. It would always serve as a terrible reminder of just how close she had come to being killed. Or still could be.

_No,_ she thought, as she stepped into the tub. _Stu won't let that happen._

As the warm water cascaded over her, she fought the uneasiness that had suddenly returned with a vengeance. The sight of the gun had driven home just how serious the situation had become. The fact that someone wanted her dead was one thing. The knowledge that someone would kill for her was another matter entirely. Stu had a weapon. And she had no doubt he wouldn't hesitate to use it if necessary.

Again remembering their current sleeping arrangements, she tried to prolong the inevitable for as long as she could. But it wasn't long until the water turned cold and the fatigue started to sink in. Shivering, she turned off the water, and toweled off. It had been a long, emotional day and despite everything, she was more than ready for a good night's sleep. She reminded herself again that she would be sharing a bed with Stu and she sighed. Memories of their passionate kiss flooded her mind and she hoped she could make it through the night without making a complete fool of herself.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped into the room, pausing when she saw Stu stretched out on the large bed. He was laying on top of the covers, propped up against the headboard, still fully dressed except for his shoes. The tv was on but the volume was so low that she could barely hear it. She also didn't fail to notice that the gun was still in the same place beside of him.

When he noticed that she wasn't moving, he reached over and pulled back the covers on her side of the bed.

"Come on. Try to get some sleep." he stated, as he patted the pillow.

Hesitantly, Mia approached the bed and slid under the covers, tucking them up under her chin. She fought the urge to toss them over her head, making herself invisible beneath them.

"What about you?" she asked, when he made no move to join her under the sheets.

"I'm going to stay up for a little bit." he replied. "You go ahead and rest." He reached over and flicked off the light.

_You're going to keep watch, aren't you?, _she thought, wondering how long he would try to stay awake.

Overwhelmed by his presence beside of her, she fidgeted beneath the covers, trying to find a comfortable position. She tried to distract herself with the tv, concentrating on the actors on the screen, trying to make sense of the silent movements of their lips. She was just starting to decipher the ridiculous plot of some annoying sitcom, when she felt something light sweep across her forehead.

The sudden feel of his hand in her hair made her jump. It was the lightest of touches, his fingers threading through the soft strands, barely grazing her scalp. He didn't speak and he made no further movements, but his hand remained tangled there, reassuring her of his presence.

And within minutes, she was sound asleep in the bed beside of him.


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanks for the reviews and the adds! They make me happy! :-) I enjoy hearing that everyone is still enjoying this.**

**Chapter 21**

Mia awoke early to find the room faintly lit by the daylight that was slowly starting to seep in through the curtains. The first image she saw when she opened her eyes was the pair of jean clad legs stretched out on the bed beside of her. She was momentarily startled, until the memories of the previous night came rushing back to her. The realization of who was still lying in the bed beside of her made her heart flutter. She risked a glance at his face and was surprised to see that Stu was still asleep.

Surrounded by the peacefulness of the quiet room, and mesmerized by his sleeping form, she watched him, for the first time having an opportunity to really study his large frame. His features were relaxed, so calm and peaceful, a complete reversal from the tension that had marred them only a few hours previously. She paused at his lips, remembering their encounter from the storage room, recalling how easily he had subdued her with just one simple kiss. She felt herself tempted to try it again, wondering how he might react if she were to wake him in such a manner. But she made no movement toward him, fearful of a repeat of the rejection she had experienced on that fateful night not so long ago.

She let her eyes travel further downward, taking note of the way the material of his shirt stretched over his broad chest, and wrapped around his well muscled arms...those arms that had made her feel so safe and warm, if only for a brief moment. One hand rested along his waist, the other on the bed between them, now that it was no longer entangled in her hair. Her gaze lowered, as she studied his thick, powerful legs, admiring the way they filled out the heavy denim so perfectly. And before she could stop herself, she felt her eyes drawn to the spot just below his waist, daring herself to imagine what it would be like, if only once, to be the object of his desire without fear of being rejected or refused.

_Stop it!_, she warned herself, frustrated by the path her thoughts had taken. _Like you don't have enough problems as it is..._

She sighed softly, her gaze traveling up back up to his face, her eyes opening wide in surprise when she saw his own staring back at her.

"See anything interesting?" he teased, giving her one of his annoying smirks.

Blushing furiously, Mia was out of the bed in a matter of seconds, nearly tripping over the sheets that had some how become tangled around her feet.

Grabbing up her bag, she headed to the bathroom without giving him another glance, trying hard to ignore the chuckle that came from his direction as she closed the door.

Splashing some cold water on her face, she stared at herself in the mirror.

_Way to go, Mia, _she murmured, shaking her head. _The man's trying to save your life and all you can think about is jumping his bones..._

Reminding herself that she couldn't hide out in the bathroom forever, she quickly changed and brushed her teeth, before heading back out to face him. She wasn't surprised to see that he was up and moving about the room. He gave a quick glance in her direction, a smile still playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Did you sleep ok?"

"Fine." she huffed, then frowned. She had no right to be angry with him. It wasn't his fault she was making a complete fool of herself.

"How long did you stay awake?" she asked, taking note of how tired he looked.

"For a while." he replied, vaguely. She assumed he had probably been awake most of the night.

She repacked her things in her bag, then rummaged around until she found her phone. Last night had been so hectic, she hadn't had a chance to speak with John or Kelly and she knew that both of them would be worried sick by now. As she felt her way around the bottom of her bag in search of her phone charger, she was suddenly aware of Stu's presence beside of her. He stretched his arm out in front of him, and it took her a few seconds to realize what he wanted. Carefully, he slid the phone out of her hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked, watching as he flipped it over and removed the battery.

"I'm sorry Mia. But we can't risk contacting anybody right now. We can't let anybody know where we are. And they can use this..." he stated, holding up her phone, "to track us."

"But I have to let John know that I'm ok. You saw how upset he was last night. He's probably frantic by now wondering what's happened to me."

"He may be, but not nearly as upset as he'll be if you don't come back at all." She watched as he dumped the phone in his bag. "I promise, as soon as its safe, I'll give you a chance to call him."

Reluctantly, she agreed and resumed packing the rest of her things.

"Are you hungry? We can grab some breakfast before we hit the road." he asked, as he gathered up his own belongings. Mia watched as he picked up the gun and slid it back into the side of his bag.

"Ok." she mumbled, again reminded of how serious their predicament was.

Stu escorted her back to their car and loaded their bags, before driving them to a small diner a half a mile further down the road.

The silence settled over them again and Mia stared nervously out the window as she waited on their food, still embarrassed at the fact that he had caught her staring at him earlier that morning. It was no wonder he was keeping his distance from her. She could only imagine what he thought of her behavior.

"So, what do we do next?" she finally asked, still curious as to where he was taking her.

"Well, the first thing we have to do is to ditch this car. I've got a new one waiting on us. Once that's done, we hit the road again. We still have a lot of ground to cover."

"How far are we going?" she asked, her curiosity peaked. Surely he could find a way to hide her without having to travel so far.

"Not far enough." he replied and she shivered at the fierce look that crossed his face.

They ate their meal mostly in silence, Mia deciding to save the rest of her questions for when they were back in the car again, alone. But she couldn't ignore the frequent glances that Stu was giving her. It seemed as though every time she looked at him, she caught him staring at her. If only she knew what he was thinking...

Stu watched her as she picked at her breakfast, her attention focused on anything but him. Silently, he cursed himself for the way he had acted that morning. He'd only meant to tease her a little when he'd caught her studying him, but somehow he'd managed to thoroughly embarrass her yet again. It was no wonder she seemed to resist letting him get too close to her. He was really going to have to learn to keep his attitude in check if he expected her to stick around very long.

He gauged her reaction as she caught him staring at her yet again, and he tried to find something outside the window to distract him, allowing her to finish eating her breakfast in peace. He had hoped that the previous night would have somehow quenched his thirst, allowing him to take his fill of her while she was sleeping. But the many hours that he had spent watching her sleep had flown by faster than he could have ever imagined, and he had finally given in, her peaceful face imprinted in his mind as he drifted off himself. He wondered how she would have reacted if she had awakened and found him gazing at her as she had done to him that morning. He doubted that she would have responded the same way that he had. But, either way, it didn't matter. He had to keep his emotions in check and keep his mind on business. Too many distractions and one of them might pay for it with their life.

By the time they finished their meal and stopped to trade in their sedan for a mid-size SUV, it was mid-morning before they were back to traveling toward their destination.

"I wonder what happened to Punk?" Mia asked wistfully, as she stared out the window, watching the scenery fly by. She had slipped her shoes off and sat in the passenger seat with her feet tucked underneath her. "Surely they wouldn't have just let him walk away last night, would they? I mean, isn't there a good chance he isn't following us at all?"

"He was taken into custody last night. But considering Vince's deep pockets, he won't be there for very long. If I had to guess, he'll probably be out on bail by lunch time." Stu replied. Despite her seemingly endless barrage of questions, he was grateful to hear the sound of her voice. She'd been unusually quiet so far that morning, a result of his bad manners, no doubt.

She gave him an odd glance. "And you know this how?" she questioned.

Stu meet her gaze briefly and shrugged.

"So that's how it's going to be, huh? I'm not allowed to call anybody, but you're free to call whomever you choose."

"No, that's not how it is." he replied, rolling his eyes. "It's not the same thing Mia. I have a job to do. I have contacts that I have to speak to in order to pull all of this off. Nobody knows how to find me. But you..." he waved his arm in her direction. "Anybody who knows the slightest thing about you knows the first person you will try to get in touch with."

"But John wouldn't say anything to anyone!" she argued.

"Not intentionally, no. But if they are looking for us, then they'll be watching him. We can't risk someone overhearing a conversation, or God forbid following him, if he decided to try to come and find you. You can talk to him soon. Maybe sooner than you think, depending on what Punk does. But for now, will you please drop it?"

"Fine." she huffed, crossing her arms and staring out the window again. "So where exactly are we going anyway? I mean, I'm sure your "contacts" have already taken care of that too."

Stu shook his head at her. "As a matter of fact, they have."

"And?" she prodded, when he offered no additional details.

"And...it's a very nice place." He couldn't stop the grin that crossed his face.

"Are you going to be like this the whole time?" she questioned, glaring at him.

Stu chuckled. "Maybe."

"Lucky me." she growled.

"Yes you are." he teased, laughing at her. "Imagine what you'd be like by now if I weren't here."

"I can only imagine how it would feel to be sane again."

"So I drive you crazy, do I?" he laughed.

"You have no idea..." Mia let her voice trail off when she realized that maybe his question held an altogether different meaning. She didn't fail to notice the large smile plastered on his face. She silently cursed him under her breath.

Sensing the sudden change in mood, Stu decided to steer the conversation back on course.

"Actually, I haven't personally seen the place where we are going. But I've seen some photographs and it looks very nice."

"It has more than one bedroom, I hope."

"Actually, it does." he agreed, disappointed by the thought. But he didn't know why he should be surprised. Of course she would want to have her own room.

"So, they found this place for you?"

He nodded. "Our firm owns several homes located across the country. Anonymously, of course, so they can't be traced. In our line of business, there are always people that need to be hidden away for indefinite periods of time. So that's what these...safe houses...are for. They're all different...they can have everything from sophisticated security systems to hidden rooms and passageways, and all kinds of other special features. But from the outside, you'd never know it. They take great care to make sure they blend in with their surroundings, regardless of where they are. They're virtually impossible to find unless you know where to look."

"So that's where we're going?"

"Yes. There's a cabin not too far from here. It will be a good place to lay low for a few days until we see what happens."

"Does it have a lot of these...special features...you mentioned?" she asked.

"Actually no. But I don't think that will be an issue. I'm sure I can take care of any problems that might arise." he replied. The tone of his voice left no doubt that he would have no qualms about taking out Punk if need be.

Mia grew quiet as she contemplated what her life was going to be like for the next few days. The idea of being locked away in a cabin alone with Stu for who knew how long, with no contact with the outside world, was intriguing. But considering their habit of provoking each other at every opportunity, she could only imagine the torment that was in store for her. At least she could be satisfied with the fact that she would have her own room. She had a feeling that before this ordeal was over, she was going to be spending a lot of time hiding out there.

Stu watched her out of the corner of his eye as he drove, curious as to what she might be thinking. If he was honest, he was more than anxious to finally have her all to himself for a few days. With both of them living together under one roof and no where for her to run, he was intrigued to see how things might play out between them. He just hoped that he could manage to keep his head in the game. If he made a mistake at this point, it could very well be fatal for both of them.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

The gravel crunched under the tires of their SUV as they pulled up to the cabin that was hidden away deep in the woods. It seemed like it had been forever since they'd turned off the main highway, and Mia tried to estimate the distance they'd traveled on this smaller, more narrow road. She also hadn't failed to notice that the further away from civilization they'd traveled, the further the distance between neighbors. When Stu had mentioned that the place was secluded, he'd really meant it. Out here in the middle of nowhere, they truly would be alone.

"So this is it, huh?" she asked, peering through the windshield at the deserted structure. Images from every horror movie that she had ever seen swirled through her mind, as she studied the darkened windows and the even darker woods that surrounded the property.

"This is it." Stu agreed, as he exited the car. Mia met him at the front of the vehicle and followed him up the stairs and onto the covered porch. Kneeling beside one of the wooden rocking chairs, Stu felt around underneath the seat until he found the hidden key. He stood and unlocked the door and Mia cautiously followed him inside.

She was pleasantly surprised when she saw the interior of the cabin. As Stu had mentioned, it appeared as if the whole place had been recently updated. There were granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, a nice pair of leather couches in the living room and a large flat screen tv mounted on the wall above the beautiful stone fireplace. But even with all of the modern amenities, the original charm of the old cabin still remained intact. The wood floors and large wooden beams on the ceiling appeared to be original to the structure. And the decor provided a perfect blend of old and new, making the whole place feel warm and inviting. All of the doubt that she'd felt at first glance of the place had dissipated as soon as she stepped inside.

"Somebody has good taste." she murmured, her eyes coming to rest on the large antler chandelier that hung above the dining room table.

"They usually do." Stu replied, following her gaze to the light. "I can only imagine what they pay to have someone to decorate these places. Wait here. I'll go get our things."

Mia watched him as he walked out the door, then turned her attention back to the large room she was standing in. She moved across the floor, trying to take everything in, when she finally spotted the lake outside the far window. She strode across the room and unlocked the back door, stepping out onto another covered porch, which offered a breath taking view of the water. She leaned against the wooden railing, imagining all of the beautiful sunsets that could be viewed from this prime location.

"Nice view."

Mia jumped slightly at the sound of Stu's voice and she turned to look at him, as he stepped out onto the porch beside her.

"It's so beautiful here. And so peaceful." she offered, her gaze drifting back to the water.

Stu smiled down at her, grateful that he had selected this location over some of the others. Now that he had seen the place in person, he was more than satisfied with his choice. It was nice and secluded, with no one else around to disturb them. Hopefully their stay would be uneventful and he would have plenty of time to relax and take in the sights.

_All of them_, he thought to himself, as he watched her gaze out over the lake.

Clearing his throat, he motioned over his shoulder when she looked at him.

"I have your bags. Let me show you the bedrooms, so you can get settled." he stated. Mia took one last glance at the lake before following him inside.

He led her down the hallway, and they explored both bedrooms, a small but comfortable guest room with an attached bath and a large master suite with a king-size bed and an extravagant master bath. She sighed when she saw the large jacuzzi tub shadowed by the large window that offered a gorgeous lake view. It really should have been a simple decision. But...

"I'll take the smaller room."

Stu raised an eyebrow as she turned to him. "Really? I thought you'd pick this room."

"It's beautiful." she shrugged, studying him. "But, I know you could use the larger bed."

"I don't mind to stay in the other room. I've stayed in worse before. I'll be fine." he argued.

She shook her head. "No. You've done enough. You stay here. I'll take the other room." She walked past him toward the door.

"But I'll warn you, I may confiscate your bathroom at some point so I can use that." She laughed, pointing at the large tub.

Stu smiled as she disappeared around the corner, his eyes drawn back to the huge tub in the corner of the room. He wondered if there was any chance in the world that he could convince her it was big enough for two.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Would you stop wandering off!" Stu growled, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her to his side. Mia rolled her eyes at him. They'd been in the grocery store for the past fifteen minutes and they'd spent most of that time bickering with each other over nearly everything.

"I was just getting some chips." she argued, tossing the bag of Doritos into the cart. "Stop being so bossy."

"Stop being so careless." he argued, frowning as he looked down at the bag of chips. "And those things are awful. Put them back. I'm not buying those."

"You're not buying them. I am. And I'm not being careless. We're in the middle of a store. What do you think is going to happen to me?"

"The same thing that happened to you in the middle of a packed arena." he stated calmly, tossing the bag of chips back to her.

Mia sighed. "Why do you always have to be right?" she asked, tossing the bag back into the cart.

"Because I usually am." he replied, groaning when she took off toward the end of the aisle. "If you don't get back here, I'm going to pick you up and make you ride in the cart with the food!"

"I'm sure that will help us keep a low profile." she argued, waving him off as she studied the shelf for her favorite brand of peanut butter.

For one brief second he imagined himself picking her up and carrying her out of the store draped over his shoulder. But he had to admit that she was right. They needed to keep a low profile. Almost as if she could read his thoughts, she turned toward him and smiled. That smile that always seemed to disarm him, no matter how annoyed he was at her. Realizing he had apparently lost the argument, he fell in behind her, keeping a sharp eye out as he followed her through the store.

"If there's anything you can think of you need, get it now." he warned her, as they finally headed toward the checkout counter. "This will be our only trip into town for several days. We can't make ourselves too visible or somebody might recognize us."

Mia paused at the toiletry aisle, as she mentally checked off the list in her head, trying to remember if she was running low on anything.

"Don't forget the bubble bath." She jumped when she felt Stu's breath against her ear, and she turned in time to see him walk away, a huge grin on his face.

Her eyes traveled over the broad expanse of his back as he began to unload the items onto the counter, and she replayed his words in her mind, wondering if there was some hidden meaning that she was supposed to understand. Turning back to the shelf, she shrugged as she grabbed up a bottle and followed him to the checkout. There was only one way for her to find out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They had eaten a late lunch while they were still on the road, so they made some sandwiches for a light supper, Mia enjoying a handful of the Doritos that Stu had purchased despite all the fuss he'd made. They'd sat together on the back porch, Mia stretched out in the old porch swing, Stu sitting at the table, his gaze traveling between her and the lake, as he ate. They'd talked very little throughout the evening, but it was a comfortable silence, both of them almost forgetting their troubles as they took in their first sunset from their temporary home.

Stu had stayed up long after Mia had retired to her room, making his rounds through the house, double checking the locks on all the doors and windows as he gazed out into the darkness, searching for anything that looked suspicious or out of place. He felt too restless to sleep, his mind swimming with thoughts that he knew could cause nothing but problems if he acted on them. The events of the evening had been more than satisfying, both of them settling into their new surroundings more easily than he could have imagined. But he had to remind himself more than once of why they were here. This was not a pleasure trip. This was serious business. And if he didn't keep his mind on his job, they could both be in big trouble.

Making another quiet round through the house, Stu started down the hallway toward his room, when he noticed the light coming from underneath Mia's door. He paused for a moment, wondering why she would still be awake so late at night. Hesitantly, he approached the door, wondering if perhaps she had fallen asleep with the light on. He listened for any sound coming from the other side and when he failed to hear anything, he tapped his knuckle lightly on the door.

"Come in." The sound of her voice surprised him. He hadn't expected her to be awake. He slowly opened the door and peeked inside and found her in bed, her head propped up with an extra pillow, a book gripped firmly in her hand. The lamp from the bed side table softly illuminated the room, bathing her in a golden light, giving her an almost angelic appearance that momentarily stunned him.

"I thought you'd be asleep already." he stated, regaining his composure as he slowly crossed the floor and took a seat on the edge of the bed.

Mia shrugged. "You'd think I'd be use to sleeping in strange places by now..."

Stu leaned over, trying to get a glimpse of the cover of the book. "Interesting read?"

She shrugged again, closing the book and placing it on the table. "Good as any, I guess. There wasn't much of a selection."

"I'm surprised. You'd think they would have stocked a whole library here."

"Guess they spent all of the their money on the decor." she quipped, remembering the chandelier that was hanging in the dining room.

Stu let his gaze travel around her bedroom, coming to rest on the open window on the wall parallel to the bed. The thin curtains fluttered as a light breeze blew through the room and somewhere off in the distance, he heard the low rumble of thunder.

"You can close it, if it will make you feel better." she stated softly, taking note of the uneasiness in his eyes as he stared at it. "I've just always loved sleeping with the windows open whenever I can. It makes it feel more like home."

Another breeze drifted in, blowing a strand of hair across her face. Stu smiled down at her and shook his head.

"I think it will be ok. At least for tonight." he stated softly. Slowly, he reached out to brush the hair out of her face, his fingers tracing softly across her cheek. He heard her sharp intake of breath at his touch and he found his eyes traveling over her face, taking in her surprised expression, before finally coming to rest on her lips.

He felt himself moving. How, he wasn't sure. It was as though someone else had suddenly taken over control of his body. He could hear the warnings sounding in his mind, but he was helpless to stop himself as he moved toward her.

Bracing his hands on the pillow, he leaned over her, his lips brushing against hers in the softest of kisses, testing her response. Mia closed her eyes, savoring the moment, too fearful to make a move. She remembered the last time they'd been in this position, and she was afraid that if she made a wrong move or uttered a single sound, that he would turn away from her yet again.

Hesitantly, he deepened the kiss, tilting his head slightly, biting softly at her lower lip as he urged her to open her mouth to him. Her lips parted beneath the pressure of his own and she moaned softly into his mouth, unable to stifle the sound as he drove her senseless.

Finally breaking the kiss, Mia could hear the sound of his erratic breathing as he began to pull away from her. His hands were still pressed into the pillow on either side of her head, and she reached for him, gripping his wrists.

"Wait." she whispered, her eyes pleading with him not to leave. "Don't go."

It was all he needed to hear, what little restraint he had left crumbling at the urgency of her plea. He leaned forward, capturing her lips again in a fierce kiss. Her hands released his wrists, sliding up his arms and across his shoulders as he moved over her, shifting positions so he was lying beside her in the bed. His fingertips slid across her face, tangling in her hair, holding her against him as he deepened the kiss. Stu felt a shiver run down his spine as her own fingers teased the small curls at the back of his neck, and he broke the kiss, nuzzling her check softly as he breathed in her tantalizing scent.

This was wrong. It would be too much of a distraction if he let this happen now, he thought to himself, trying to find the strength to pull away from her. But then he felt her lips brush across his ear, before trailing soft kisses down his neck and his brief moment of clarity was gone. He dipped his head, returning the favor as he drew his lips along the soft skin of her throat, before rising to find her own again.

Her heart pounding in her chest, Mia gripped him tightly, fighting the urge to rip off his shirt so she could run her hands over the well muscled skin underneath. She expected him to stop at any moment. Knew that he would come to his senses, realize what he was doing, and push her away. He broke the kiss, pulled back to look into her eyes, and for one brief moment, she thought he was gone. Then she felt his hand slip beneath the hem of her shirt, felt the heat of his touch against her skin and all her fears dissipated. She could see the need in his eyes. She could feel it in his touch. And she knew that there was absolutely nothing that could pull him away from her at that moment.

She felt his hand on her breast, his thumb stroking the nub to a stiff peak, his lips swallowing her soft whimper as he kissed her again. Unable to stop herself, she tugged frantically at his shirt, and she heard him sigh quietly as he reluctantly pulled away long enough to slip it over his head. Mia reached for him again, tugging on his arms as she tried to pull him closer. With a grin, he grasped her wrists, pulling her up to meet him. Another stolen kiss, and Mia felt his hand on her back. Felt him grip the thin material of her shirt, before slipping it off of her and tossing it to the floor. Then pulling her against him, she relished in the wonderful friction of skin on skin, their lips joining yet again as the weight of his body pressed her own back down onto the bed.

The sound of thunder rumbled through the open window, closer now than before, and the faint sound of the first raindrops tapped gently against the leaves of the nearby trees. But the sounds of the impending downpour were no match for the storm that was brewing inside the cabin.

She moaned as he left a path of soft kisses down her chest, his hands cupping her breasts, his thumbs teasing the sensitive nipples until they were firm. She gasped as he drew one into his mouth, her fingers running through his hair trying to hold him to the task. He broke free easily, moving to the other breast, smirking against her skin as he felt her squirming beneath him. He moved from one to the other, tormenting her endlessly, as his hands moved to her hips, holding her still. He kissed her again briefly before slipping his fingers under the lace material of her panties, guiding them down her legs and tossing them over his shoulder.

Mia stared up at him longingly, her fingertips trailing down his chest and across his abs, and she felt the muscles quiver as they disappeared under the waistband of his jeans. Their eyes met briefly, and she licked her lips greedily as she watched him devour her with his eyes. Another clap of thunder resounded from across the lake and the lights flickered momentarily, but they barely noticed, neither of them paying attention to anything save the other. She tugged impatiently at his jeans again and without a sound, he slid off of the bed, slipping them off and throwing them across the room.

This was really going to happen. Mia swallowed nervously as he rejoined her on the bed, her arms pulling him to her as his body covered hers, claiming her lips in another passionate kiss. Until now, she hadn't realized just how much she had wanted this, how long it had seemed like she had waited for him. After everything she had endured over the past few months, this was what she had been waiting for all along.

"Stu..." His name left her lips in a breathless rush as his fingers slid between her parted thighs to stroke her lightly, her hips shifting beneath him as she tried to control his movements. He removed his hand, grinning up at her when her heard her moan of disappointment. Grasping her hips, he held her still as he moved across her stomach, leaving a trail of kisses in his wake, then dipped his head lower to finally taste her. Mia cried out, her fingers diving through his hair as he continued his sweet torment. Moaning with every stroke of his tongue, she tried to rock her hips against him, desperately trying to get him to increase the pace. He responded by giving her what she wanted, working his tongue faster and faster until he felt that she was ready to explode. Then right when he felt her ready to go over the edge, he stopped, chuckling at the string of soft curses that left her lips as he moved back up her body.

"That's no way to talk to someone whose holding your pleasure in his hands." he teased, not failing to notice the heavy rise and fall of her chest as she glared up at him.

"Dammit Stu. You're not funny." she whined, as she reached for him again.

"I disagree." he replied, with a grin. "I find myself exceptionally amusing."

His lips brushed against hers before his head dropped to her shoulder nuzzling her neck.

"You have to be the only man alive to start an argument right in the middle of sex..." her voice trailing off in a moan as he drew a taunt nipple into his mouth.

"Distraction." he murmured, as he moved from one breast to another. "It's the only chance I have at winning."

She growled at him in frustration, tugging gently at his hair. Smiling, his hand slipped between them again, his fingers teasing her slick center momentarily, before grabbing his thick cock and guiding himself to her entrance. Taking a deep breath, he slid into her slowly, groaning as her wet heat engulfed him. Mia gasped, her body rising to meet him, her legs wrapping around his waist to hold him there.

A bright flash of light, another crack of thunder, and the room was thrown into darkness, the sound of the pouring rain drowning out the sound of the frantic lovers within. Mia buried her face into the crook of his neck, clinging to him desperately as he increased the pace of his thrusts. Stu moaned, one arm sliding beneath her to pull her closer, the other gripping her ass, tilting her hips upwards, as he thrust deeper inside her. She moved with him, meeting each stroke, her hands grabbing at his shoulders desperately as he drove her closer to her release.

Realizing how close she was, he raised up on his knees, grabbing her hips tightly as he plunged into her over and over again. He kept his eyes focused on her face, wanting to watch her fall apart in his hands, not wanting to miss a moment of what he'd fantasied about for so long. She cried out, throwing her head back as the pleasure overtook her, and the sight of her in such ecstasy was more than he could stand. He quickly followed her over the edge, trying to steady himself on his knees as the waves washed over him, and he forced his eyes open so he could look at her once more as he came down from his incredible high. She was still panting hard beneath him, the aftershocks of pleasure still coursing through her body.

He moved slowly until he was stretched out beside of her, momentarily concerned when he finally realized that the room had gone dark. The sound of the rain finally registered through the fog in his brain, and he remembered the storm, as a bolt of lightning illuminated the room, giving him a brief glance at the contented look on Mia's face as she rested next to him. Slipping the covers over them as the thunder roared outside, he pulled her close, savoring her sigh as she snuggled into his warmth. He eyed the open window one last time, his arm tightening protectively around her, as images of Punk flashed through his mind. Silently, he dared the man to show his face. If he was brave enough to come after them here, where there were no witnesses, Stu vowed that he would make him pay with his life for the things he'd done.


	23. Chapter 23

****Sorry for the delay in posting an update. I had problems getting this chapter to come together. It's kind of blah, but hopefully the next one will be better. As always, thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming! I really appreciate them!****

**Chapter 23**

Mia stirred in the bed, finally opening her eyes, her gaze falling on the open window. The daylight trickled in through the screen, dancing across the floor as the shifting clouds in the sky played across the face of the sun. There was still a light breeze stirring outside, blowing in the scent of damp leaves and earth, soaked from the previous night's storm. Memories of her romantic encounter with Stu flooded her mind and she raised her head, her eyes roaming around her room as she searched for him. But he was no where to be found.

Laying her head back down on the pillow, she pressed her fingers to her lips, remembering the passionate kisses that they had shared. She couldn't believe that it had actually happened. That Stu had actually made love to her. She felt a shiver run down her spine when she recalled his heated caresses, conjuring up images of his body laying over her own as he possessed her completely. Sighing, she turned toward the door of her room, noticing that it was closed. She wondered how long he had been awake.

Finally pulling herself from the bed, she gathered up her discarded clothes on her way to the bathroom, and tossed them in a pile in the corner before stepping into the shower. Twenty minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, clean, dressed and ready for whatever the day might hold. Which wouldn't be much, she reminded herself as she opened her bedroom door. After all, they were in hiding. It wasn't like they would be headed out on some big sightseeing tour.

Stepping into the hallway, she glanced first in the direction of Stu's room, taking note that his door was open. She assumed that meant his room was probably empty. Turning in the opposite direction, she headed toward the kitchen instead, searching for him. She paused when she reached the end of the hall and spotted him standing in front of the sink, his back toward her, his gaze fixated on something just beyond the window. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white shirt, which stretched taunt against the powerful expanse of his back. She longed to run her hands across those perfect muscles again, to feel the way they flexed beneath her needy touch. Visions of his naked body ran through her mind and she wondered if there could possibly be a more perfect example of the male species to be found anywhere on the face of the earth. She felt another shiver run through her and she stifled a moan as she moved further into the kitchen. She stopped just behind him, and he turned slightly in her direction, flashing her a faint smile and Mia suspected that he'd known all along that she'd been standing there staring at him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked softly, watching as he turned his gaze back to the window.

He shook his head. "Deer." he replied, pointing at the window.

Mia stepped closer to him, taking note of the two creatures that were feeding calmly in the front yard, oblivious to the fact that they were being watched from the interior of the cabin. It was a mother with her young fawn and Mia smiled as she watched the baby kick playfully, as it danced around it's mother while she ate. Even though she'd seen plenty of them during her time growing up in North Carolina, she never tired of watching them. They were such elegant and graceful creatures. She was pleased to see that Stu seemed to appreciate their beauty as well.

Finally, he turned away from the window, and Mia frowned at him as he walked across the room and took a seat on one of the leather sofas and flipped on the tv, surprised that he had yet to make any comment regarding what had happened between them the previous night. There had been no cheerful wake up call that morning. No good morning kiss. In fact, she thought, he seemed downright...distracted...this morning. She wondered if he was already regretting the fact that he'd slept with her and she felt a sickening feeling begin to twist through her gut.

Shaking it off, she poured herself a glass of orange juice, sipping at it as she debated whether to take a seat beside of him or to find somewhere else to go for a while. Her gaze was finally drawn to the lake at the back of the house and she opted for the latter, as she stepped outside and took a seat on the porch swing.

She gazed out over the water, watching the birds swoop down to catch the insects swarming across the surface, her thoughts soon drifting back to Stu. She was confused by his actions so far that morning. Maybe even a little hurt. But really, what had she expected from him? As long as she'd know him, he had always maintained such a calm, disciplined demeanor. He certainly wasn't the type to walk around with his head in the clouds or his heart on his sleeve. And even if he was ecstatic over what had happened between them last night, you wouldn't find him shouting it from the roof tops. He was private. Practical. Yes, that was the word she'd been looking for. Practical. He did what made sense and left everything else for someone else to deal with. Even throughout their flight, and despite his obvious concern for her safety, he had remained calm. Cool. Collected. So maybe he was just letting things take a natural course. Or maybe he really did regret sleeping with her. She chewed on her lower lip as the thought worked its way back into her mind. If that was the case, these next few days could wind up being very stressful for both of them.

With a sigh, her thoughts turned to John and she wondered how he was holding up. He was probably in panic mode right now, having not heard anything from her in the past two days and she was sure he was likely thinking the worst. If only she could just let him know that she was ok. That he hadn't been wrong in letting her leave with Stu. He at least deserved to know that much. She made a mental note to speak with Stu later about calling him.

The sound of the screen door opening pulled her from her thoughts and she felt a nervous fluttering in her stomach as Stu stepped onto the porch. He walked silently past her toward the railing, sipping a cup of coffee as he stared out toward the lake. Mia watched him nervously, searching for any sign in his body language that might give her a hint as to what he was thinking. Then he turned toward her, leaning against one of the large posts as he studied her with that same cool expression. She was starting to think that her worst fears had been confirmed. Then she noticed his eyes. How they traveled over her body, taking her in. She could see the longing reflected there. His desire for her, restrained, but there none the less. And she felt herself breath a sigh of relief. So he did want her again after all.

Finally, he moved toward her, taking a seat beside of her on the swing. He gazed down at her, still silent, stretching his arm out behind her along the back of the seat. He ran his fingers through her hair and Mia shivered when she felt them graze the back of her neck. She longed to kiss him again but she held back, waiting to see what he would do first.

"How did you sleep last night?" he asked softly, as he toyed with a strand of her hair.

"Better. You?"

"Good. After the storm died down, anyway."

"I think the weather up here can get a little crazy sometimes. Those kinds of storms can pop up in a hurry." he continued, studying her. His mouth was tilted in a slight grin, as though he knew what she wanted him to say, but he refrained.

Mia sighed in frustration. Why was he discussing the weather at a time like this?

"So...last night. What was that exactly?" she asked, her curiosity finally getting the better of her.

"Which part?" he asked. He stroked her hair lightly, his face remaining nearly expressionless.

Mia clenched her fists, her frustration growing. He knew exactly which part she was referring to. So why was he being so difficult? She knew she shouldn't have been surprised that he was taunting her again. After all, that's what he did best. But still, after everything that had happened between them last night, she had hoped that he would at least have the decency to be honest with her about it.

Dropping the issue, she turned her attention back to the lake. Occasionally, she flitted her eyes in his direction, watching him, surprised that he was being so quiet. He was staring at a point off in the distance, his brows drawn together as though he was concentrating on something. Mia wondered what he was thinking, completed bewildered by his actions.

As her eyes wandered over the water, her gaze drifted to the small pier that was just visible beyond the edge of the trees. She bit back a grin as a plan began to form in her mind. If Stu wanted to play games, then perhaps she should give him a taste of his own medicine. And she knew just the thing to get his attention.

"Where are you going?" he asked, frowning at her as she stood up and walked past him.

"To my room. Don't worry. I'll be back in a few minutes." She winked playfully at him before disappearing through the screen door.

Minutes later, she smiled as she studied herself in the mirror. The small black bikini that she was wearing fit her perfectly, a souvenir that she'd managed to swipe after a recent photo shoot. She'd taken three of the swimsuits that she'd worn during that shoot, but this one was by far the most alluring. If this didn't get his attention, then nothing would. She slipped on a lightweight cotton robe, tying the belt so she was completely covered. Then grabbing her sunglasses and a towel, she headed back to the porch.

As she stepped outside, she noticed that Stu was no longer in the swing. He was standing at the railing, his back toward the door, and he turned and gave her a curious look when he saw how she was dressed.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, as she started down the steps toward the gravel path.

"I'm going swimming." she stated calmly, flashing him another smile.

"You can't go wandering off by yourself." he argued.

"I guess you'll just have to come with me then." she replied, still smiling as she continued down the path, ignoring the angry mumblings that came from his direction.

She reached the pier, and she walked to the edge, stretching lazily as she looked out over the water. She listened carefully for the sound of the screen door and it wasn't long until she heard what she was searching for, the familiar bang echoing down the hill as it slammed shut. Not long after, she heard the sound of gravel crunching under footsteps and then she was no longer alone.

"I swear, if you don't stop wandering off..." Stu grumbled, and Mia turned toward him, taking note that he had changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Even though he was grumbling every step of the way, he'd at least been a good enough sport to play along. But apparently, he didn't have any swimming trunks in his possession. Either that or he didn't anticipate getting wet. Mia suppressed a giggle when she imagined herself shoving him into the water. Somehow she didn't think that would be the smartest move for her to make.

"You're actually going in there?" he asked with a frown, as he pointed at the water.

"Sure. Why not?" she shrugged.

"I don't know. It doesn't look very clean. And you don't know what might be in there."

"Believe me, the water is cleaner that most. And don't worry, I don't think the Loch Ness Monster will come out and eat me."

He shook his head at her.

"Are you going in?" she asked.

"No thanks." he replied. "I'll wait up here. Just make sure you stay out of trouble because I'm not coming in after you."

She shrugged, then waited until she had his full attention before nonchalantly loosening the belt of her robe, letting it slip off of her shoulders before dropping to the pier. She bit the inside of her cheek hard to keep herself from laughing at his double take, and she stepped to the end of the pier, pretending not to have noticed his reaction as she jumped into the water.

She swam for a while, then grabbed her sunglasses from the pier as she floated along on her back. She used the shades to hide her eyes, allowing her to study him more closely as she relaxed in the water. He was struggling to not stare at her, and she noticed how his eyes flitted over her scantily clad form before drifting off to some other object. But no matter how hard he tried, his gaze always found its way back to her. She was happy to see that she had his attention. She wanted to test his self-control, to see what it would take to finally weaken his resolve.

Eventually, she grew bored with the water, and she swam to the pier, pulling herself up to sit on the edge. She reached for her towel, and turned to face Stu as she dried herself off. He was sitting on the pier, his legs stretched out in front of him, his hands braced behind him to hold himself up. He hadn't smiled once since they'd been outside and she noticed how his eyes continuously alternated between her and their surroundings. Even now, he was still in full professional mode, searching for any sign of trouble.

"You know, you really should loosen up every now and then. Don't you ever have any fun?" she teased.

"I did once. I think it was back in 2003. Took a road trip with some of my mates from school. Had enough to last me a lifetime."

"Smart ass." she muttered, as she grabbed up her things. "Seriously Stu, do you really have to be so uptight all the time?"

"In case you've forgotten, this is not a vacation Mia. There are people out there who are trying to kill you. I can't afford to let my guard down."

"No I haven't forgotten that fact. But it would be nice to not be reminded of it every single second of the day!" she shouted back, before heading toward the path.

He was on his feet now, and she stomped past him, frustrated at the fact that her plan had apparently failed. If she'd had any more than a minimal effect on him, he wasn't letting it show. He still remained as composed as ever.

She jumped when she felt him grab her arm, pulling her back against him, one arm slipping around her waist. Brushing his thumb across her check, he leaned in, pressing his lips against hers gently. Her hands gripped his upper arms, and she remained still as he rested his forehead against her own.

"And if you don't get inside and change clothes, Punk's going to be the least of your worries."

He placed a soft kiss on her head before releasing her. Smiling, Mia started up the gravel path, adding an extra sway to her hips as she lead Stu provocatively toward the house.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

It had definitely been a lazy day, but Mia decided that she wouldn't complain. It was actually a nice change of pace from her normally hectic life. She didn't know if it was the water or the fresh air or the peace and quiet that surrounded her, but her whole body felt rejuvenated after just one day in the mountains. Or perhaps it had something to do with Stu, she reminded herself, smiling as she glanced in his direction. He was standing in the kitchen, looking out the window again, keeping a vigilant eye on the perimeter of the property, as he always did.

She'd managed to loosen him up for a little while. After her morning swim, they'd had a nice lunch on the porch, then spent most of the afternoon curled up on the couch watching television. She'd rested against him, her head on his shoulder, his arm draped around her own shoulders, his hand stroking her hair soothingly. He'd even kissed her again. Twice. Although, he had made no attempt to carry things any further.

But that side of him was now gone. He'd resumed his monotonous pacing nearly two hours ago, with hardly a break since then.

Mia had tried to tempt him away from the windows at dinner time. But he'd merely brushed off her offer with a slight mumble that he wasn't hungry. So she'd fixed another sandwich for herself, and banished herself to the porch again, in an attempt to escape Stu's constant vigil. His inability to sit still for more than a few moments at a time was starting to grate on her nerves. But her respite was short lived. He was hot on her heels, as he followed her out the door, and although he somehow managed to take a seat, his eyes were never still, scouring over the landscape as he searched for any sign of impending danger, before finding their way back to her again. She'd glanced in his direction more than once, only to meet his steady gaze, but the look he gave her was one that she was not familiar with and it only served to put her further on edge.

By late evening, Mia had endured all that she could. His movements around the house had not ceased in the slightest. If anything, Stu appeared to be even more irritable than ever. Of the few attempts she'd made to instigate a conversation, none of them had been successful and even an effort to goad him into one of their frequent arguments had failed. Finally admitting defeat, she excused herself to her room for the night, grateful for the solid wooden door that provided the relief she'd been seeking nearly all day.

She showered, then rummaged through her drawers as she tried to decide what she should wear to bed. A pair of shorts and a t-shirt were the norm, but considering that she might be the recipient of yet another midnight visit from Stu, she longed for some sexy lingerie that she could slip on to surprise him.

_Well, I can't exactly run out and buy some, now can I?_, she thought to herself, settling instead for an oversized t-shirt and a pair of panties. Then she settled into bed and turned off the light. And waited for Stu to come to her again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Glancing at the clock for what seemed like the hundredth time, Mia sighed. It was late. After midnight. And there was still no sign of Stu.

_Where was he?_, she wondered, her concern growing with every passing minute that he didn't show.

Worrying herself into a panic, perhaps now she finally understood why he'd been so standoffish all afternoon. He really didn't want to be with her again. He'd taken what he wanted and now he was through with her. The challenge conquered, the thrill of the hunt was gone. But instead of being man enough to tell her, he was just avoiding her instead.

No. That wasn't right. She wouldn't say that he was avoiding her. In fact, it was nearly the opposite. He'd been hovering over her all day, even if he had been brooding and quiet. So what was it that was bothering him so? And why wasn't he here with her now?

Lying quietly in the dark, Mia listened intently for any sign of him. But the cabin was old, and she just couldn't determine if the noises she heard were caused by footsteps, or just from the ancient building settling into the ground.

Unable to stand it anymore, she climbed out of bed and tiptoed to the door, carefully easing it open. She paused in the hallway, again listening for any sound that would help her pinpoint Stu's location. Hearing nothing but silence, she glanced in the direction of his room, frowning when she saw his door closed. Apparently, he'd gone to bed already, obviously with no intentions of seeing her again for the night.

Disappointment settled over her and she crept quietly to his door, trying to keep her emotions in check, even as she longed for the man hidden inside. Why was he so unable to see just how badly she wanted him again? Was he so completely self-absorbed that he couldn't see what she needed?

Frustrated, she raised her hand to knock, but then hesitated. What if he was already asleep? Waking him from a peaceful slumber surely wouldn't win her any brownie points with him. She studied the door knob, wondering if he'd bothered to lock it behind him. Perhaps she could just sneak inside his room and climb into his bed to surprise him.

No, that wasn't a good idea either, she thought, reminding herself that he had a gun. And she strongly suspected that he was the type to shoot first and ask questions later, and being shot while in the process of trying to seduce someone was not at the top of her list of things to do in life.

Crippled with indecision, she reached for the knob anyway, to test it, but pulled back. Staring at the large wooden structure in front of her, she felt frozen in a ridiculous position, her arm stretched out in front of her, alternating between grabbing the door knob and knocking on the door itself. Unfortunately, she couldn't bring herself to do either.

_Just knock already!_, she argued with herself, raising her hand yet again.

Making one final loop through the living quarters of the cabin, Stu started around the corner of the hallway toward his room, pausing when he saw Mia standing outside his door. Ducking back out of sight before she spotted him, he peeked around the corner and watched her as seemed to struggle with something. When he realized that she was trying to muster the courage to open his door, amusement took the place of curiosity and he stifled a chuckle as he saw her bury her face in her hands. Quick on his feet, and with the stealth of a cat, he crept down the hallway toward her.

_Oh, just go back to bed where you belong!_, Mia chastised herself when she couldn't find the courage to knock. Running her hands over her face, she resigned herself to the fact that she was just going to have to spend the night alone.

Hearing a low chuckle from behind her, she gasped and whirled around and even in the dark gloom of the hallway, she could make out the smirk on Stu's face as he stood behind her. Blood rushed to her cheeks when she realized he'd probably been watching her all along.

Without uttering a sound, he moved closer, stepping around her to open the door to his room. With a silent sweep of his hand, he motioned for her to enter and with her arms crossed over her chest in annoyance, she glared at him as she walked past him and into the bedroom.

He'd left one small lamp on, which bathed the room in a soft glow, and Mia's eyes were drawn immediately to Stu's large bed, which had been turned down, but as of yet, had not been used. The click of the door being shut pulled her attention away from her erotic thoughts and back to Stu, who was now towering next to her.

"Can I help you with something?" he asked, his voice still tinged with amusement.

Mia knew her face was still glowing with embarrassment. It had to be. She could feel the heat practically seeping out of her checks.

"I was just...I was going to ask you..." His sudden appearance had thrown her off balance, causing her to lose her train of thought. Her eyes flicked toward the bed again, and even though the movement was slight, Stu didn't fail to notice.

With a tired sigh, he walked past her and took a seat on the edge of the mattress and Mia couldn't help but notice that the amused look he'd given her only moments earlier was now gone.

_Here it comes_, she thought, bracing herself for his rejection.

He seemed to be pondering something, his eyes darting about the room before coming to rest on her again.

"You can stay in here if you'd like." he finally stated, cocking an inquisitive eyebrow in her direction. "It's probably for the best tonight anyway..."

His voice trailing off, he stood and walked to the window. Mia watched him as he fidgeted with the lock, then closed the blinds. Something was wrong. She could see it plainly now, every line of his face telling her that it was true. And the fact that he was doing very little to conceal it, frightened her more than he would ever know.

"What is it?" she asked, trying to quell the panic that was threatening to rise up inside of her. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

He turned and gazed at her reluctantly, and for the first time, she noticed how tired he looked. She wondered how long it had been since he'd actually had a decent night's sleep.

"What is it?" she repeated, watching as he moved from the window back across the room. He stopped in front of her, and for one brief moment, she could see him hesitate, as though he was searching for some other explanation, one that would satisfy her curiosity, while still protecting her from the truth. Then she saw his shoulders sag, and his eyes locked with hers and she braced herself for the words she was sure she didn't want to hear.

"Punk's gone."

Mia glanced up at him in disbelief. "Gone? What do you mean he's gone?"

Sitting on the bed, his ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"He was released on bail yesterday, just like I thought he would be. We put a tail on him, to keep tabs on his whereabouts, so we'd know if we actually had a problem. He must have anticipated our movements though because he managed to slip away sometime early this morning. We've lost him and we don't have any idea where he's gone. He literally could be anywhere right now."

Mia felt the first bit of fear begin to work it's way into her spine and her gaze inadvertently shifted to the locked window.

"Do you think he knows where we are?" she asked.

Stu shook his head. "It's very unlikely."

"Unlikely? So it is possible that he could know? That he could find out?" she questioned.

"Yes, it could be possible. But very unlikely." he repeated, reaching out for her hand and pulling her to sit on the bed next to him. "We've been careful. And we've made sure to cover all of our tracks very well. We have a lot of resources at our disposal. A lot of excellent resources that he doesn't have. But, if they can't find him within the next couple of days, we'll likely relocate to a different location, just to be on the safe side."

Mia nodded, trying not to panic. The room, the whole cabin, suddenly felt all too cramped for her. And despite the locked windows and the closed blinds, she felt completely exposed, visible to anyone who might venture along and try to peer inside.

"But until then, we need to use extra precaution." Stu continued, pulling her attention back to him. "Make sure all the doors and windows stay locked at all times. Do not open the door for anybody, at any time. And I do not want you outside of this house unless I'm with you. No exceptions. Understand?"

Mia nodded in agreement. Any other time, his tone would have signaled the beginning of a fierce argument. This time, she was grateful for the calm front and common sense that he provided. She needed that now. She needed his strength to keep herself from falling apart.

"I'll help you get your things from your room. You should plan on sharing this room with me until I say otherwise. I'll feel better knowing that you're close by if something does happen."

Taking her hand, he stood from the bed and pulled up her with him. Brushing a strand of hair from her face, he palmed her cheek, stroking his thumb lightly across her lower lip. Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss in the middle of her forehead, murmuring softly against her skin.

"Don't worry. You're safe with me, love. And I promise I'll do whatever I have to do to keep you that way."

The feel of his breath against her skin, the feel of his hands on her body, the sultry sound of his voice that normally weakened her every defense, still managed to thrill her. But the words that were meant to comfort, frightened her instead.

She had no doubt that Stu would do everything within his means to protect her. But she wondered, fearfully, if that promise meant sacrificing his life to save her own.


	25. Chapter 25

**Sorry for the delay in updating. Honestly, this story is just kicking my butt right now! Hopefully, Wade will be back soon and I'll be inspired to finish it! ;)**

**Chapter 25**

Mia rolled onto her side in the bed, her eyes focusing on the clock on the bedside table, watching as the minutes ticked by. Sleep continued to elude her, but she forced herself to remain still, not wanting to disturb Stu, who had finally fallen asleep beside of her. She didn't want to wake him. After everything that had happened over the past couple of days, he was beyond exhausted and he needed at least one good night's rest in anticipation of what might be yet to come.

She had tried to sleep. At any other time, lying next to him with his arms around her, it would have been more effective than any sleeping pill she could take. But tonight, she couldn't quiet the thoughts of their earlier conversation, his words replaying in her mind, her stomach churning at the implications hidden within them. He was prepared to die for her. He'd already gone so far above and beyond what she could have ever expected from him. Yet, in his eyes, it wasn't enough. He was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that she remained alive.

She tried to convince herself that there was nothing to worry about. That despite whatever he might be prepared to do, it would ultimately be unnecessary. Punk was gone. But in reality, they had no proof that he was looking for them. In fact, if the man had any bit of sense, he would put all his effort into making himself disappear for good, before he was eventually caught, tried, and forced to do some serious jail time for his involvement in Vince's schemes. But even if he was crazy enough to undertake a search for them, he would have the nearly impossible task of picking up their trail. Stu was right. They'd been able to cover their tracks well. Hunting them down would be no easy task for Punk to endeavor and, thanks to Stu's employer, they had numerous resources at their disposal that he simply didn't have. The advantage was theirs and had been from the very beginning.

Even so, Mia found herself on edge, jumping at every minute sound, every pop and crack issued by the settling foundation an imminent threat to their safety. She felt silly. After all, she hadn't been this jumpy since...well, since the first night Stu had confronted her on the patio. She couldn't deny that his mysterious warning that night had unnerved her, but now that she understood the meaning behind it, the search for a boogeyman in every shadowy corner and darkened room didn't seem quite so unreasonable.

She wondered how long he'd sat with her that night before he'd bothered to wake her. Had he been following her even then? She surmised that he had. How else would he have found her there? His anger at her carelessness, which she had found so confusing, now made perfect sense and she shuddered to think what might have happened to her if he hadn't been so intent on keeping a watchful eye on her. How differently things might have turned out if he had merely walked away and let the cards fall as they may.

Sighing, she turned her back to the clock, focusing her attention instead on Stu, who was stretched out on his back, still lost in peaceful slumber. She studied his silhouette in the moonlight, memorizing every line of his face, her heart nearly bursting with emotion as she gazed upon him.

Everything had happened so unexpectedly. Weeks ago she had never even spoken one word to the man, the worst enemy to her best friend. Then fate had thrust them together and he had risked everything to save her. He'd abandoned his assignment. Exposed his true identity. Possibly jeopardized his entire career. All for her. She still did not understand why, unless she was to believe his explanation of a guilty conscience. But even if it was true, it did not warrant the extent of his personal involvement. Not when he could have simply had his employer hide her away somewhere for him, so that he could continue on with his job without hindrance.

But despite her confusion surrounding his motives, she was more grateful to him than he would ever know for what he had done for her. If anything, she was the one who owed her life to him and she'd rather die herself than to know she was the reason for his death. At this point, all she could do was make sure she kept herself out of trouble and if necessary, convince Stu that, in this case at least, flight was better than fight. She'd gladly endure the inconvenience of being on the run, if it meant keeping him out of harm's way. But she had a feeling that convincing him of that would be no easy task, especially after becoming so familiar with his argumentative streak. How many times had she seen just how stubborn he could be when he set his mind on something? More times than she could count, she reminded herself. She had to look no further than John to see that.

Sighing, her mind drifted back to the time before she had known about Stu's secret life. When she thought him nothing more than a fierce competitor, just an eager rookie trying to carve out his own spot in a cruel and unforgiving profession. His feud with John had been one of the worst she could remember in recent history. He'd personally led the attacks on John perpetrated by the Nexus, and those assaults had been nothing short of vicious and brutal. But now that she knew the circumstances surrounding his appearance in the company, she questioned his reasoning behind those attacks. Was he simply playing the part that he had been assigned? Or did his contempt for John run deeper than a mere role in some complex scheme that she was as of yet unaware? He'd seemed hell bent on destroying John and everything that he stood for. But why? What purpose would it have served for him to have done so?

Nestling into the back of her mind, the questions nagged at her and she made a mental note to broach the issue with him at some point in the near future, when things were perhaps not quite so stressful. And there would be other questions too. After everything that had transpired between them, she realized there was so much about him that she still did not know and she wondered, not without a painful twisting in her heart, if she would ever know the real man behind all the mysterious facades.

As if in response to her questions, Stu murmured unintelligibly, then rolled to his side, reaching out for her in his sleep. An arm draped around her waist, pulling her into him and she closed her eyes, her head coming to rest against his chest. She returned his embrace, allowing herself to relax in his arms, letting the sound of his heartbeat soothe her. As the fatigue began to finally works its way through her body, she finally gave herself over to sleep, knowing that she would be also need to be fully rested if she were to keep a watch on Stu in the days to come.

XXXXXX

Propped up in the doorway of his bathroom, Stu leaned against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest, gazing silently at Mia, who was soaking in the large jacuzzi tub. She was reclined against the sloped side of the tub, her feet propped up on the opposite edge, her eyes undoubtedly closed behind the damp washcloth that covered them. The rest of her was well-hidden beneath the the thick cover of bubbles that filled the space to the brim, but that didn't discourage him from admiring her, the concealed areas of her body already well-committed to his memory.

He was happy to see that she was at least making an attempt to relax. She'd been a bundle of nerves ever since he'd updated her on the situation with Punk, and he was starting to regret the fact that he had mentioned anything to her at all. But, it was better that she was aware of the potential for danger, than to have her wander aimlessly into some fatal trap. However, he wanted her to be alert. Not paranoid. And he could tell she was worrying herself sick over the whole situation. A grin played at his lips as he continued to watch her. Perhaps some distraction was in order.

He cleared his throat and watched her jump slightly as she jerked the cloth from her eyes. She frowned at him and he chuckled as he pushed himself off the door frame and stepped into the room, taking a seat on the wide edge of the tub.

"I don't know how you manage to be so quiet all the time. It's annoying." she stated, flopping the cloth over her face again.

"The better to spy on you, my love." he teased, letting his fingers graze along her upper thigh as they trailed through the water. "Unfortunately, I can't see a thing at the moment with all of these cursed bubbles. You do realize you don't have to use the entire bottle at one time?"

"Well you were the one who demanded that I get it..."

"I didn't demand. I merely...suggested. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea after all. I'm afraid I can't see what I'm doing..." His voice trailed off as his hand slipped between her thighs, fingers moving to caress her lightly and Mia gasped in surprise. "Oops. See what I mean?"

Removing the cloth from her eyes again, she grinned up at him, flinching when he pulled his hand from the tub and flicked the water from his hand toward her face.

"Hmmmm. Feels nice and warm. Maybe I should join you?" he questioned and Mia blushed at the double entendre, her heart beginning to race at the prospect of seeing him naked again.

He stood and swiftly slipped his t-shirt over his head, licking his lips suggestively as he gazed down at her. She squirmed uncontrollably, fighting the urge to grab him and pull him in, as he slowly unbuttoned his jeans and slid them off. Kicking them to the side with his foot, he tilted his head in a questioning glance at her.

"Well, are you going to make room for me?" he asked. "Or do I have to kick you out of the tub completely?"

"You wouldn't dare." she laughed, her eyes drinking in his now nude form. "You'd be afraid I'd sneak off somewhere out of your sight."

_You'd have to do a lot of kicking to get me out of here now_, she thought to herself, unable deny the lust that was quickly working it's way through every inch of her body.

He ordered her to raise up and he slipped into the water behind her, drawing her back into his arms as he settled into a comfortable position. Fully aware of the length of him pressed into her back, Mia tried not to squirm as she moved against him and instead let herself relax, her head falling back onto his shoulder. She closed her eyes as she felt his lips brush lightly across her bare skin.

"This is nice." he murmured, and she sighed in agreement, although she wasn't sure if he was referring to the warm water or the fact that they were naked in the tub together.

Tilting her head to look up at him, she was rewarded with one of his bewitching grins, which made her insides tremble, while at the same time warning her that, without doubt, he was up to no good. But that was okay with her. She hadn't seen much of this lighter, more playful side of the man, and she wanted to enjoy it to the fullest while the opportunity presented itself.

Caressing the side of her face, he pulled her to him, leaning down to kiss her softly, before nibbling on her bottom lip. She moaned into his mouth at the unexpected contact, and he pulled back and smiled, her breath catching in her throat as he gazed down at her, her heart racing at the desire she saw in his eyes.

He guided her head back against his shoulder, and she closed her eyes again as his hot breath washed over her ear. His teeth grazed over the soft lobe, his tongue lightly tracing the outer shell, then he nuzzled the spot just behind it, trailing soft kisses down the side of her neck to the graceful curve where it joined her shoulder. He bit her there gently and she gasped at the sudden unexpected jolt that traveled straight to her loins.

"Perhaps I should have fed you before I let you in here with me. You seem to be very hungry today."

He chuckled softly against her ear, the sound sending a shiver down her spine.

"You have no idea..."

Twisting in his arms so that her side was resting against his chest and she heard his sharp intake of breath as she brushed against his growing erection, which was now pressed firmly against her hip.

"Well, maybe I should run to the kitchen and get you some food. We can't have you starving, can we? You have to keep up your strength."

He smirked at her, his arms tightening about her waist.

"You just try to get out of this tub..."

She giggled, her smile fading as she gazed up into his face. Raising her hand, her fingers twined through the back of his hair, pulling him down for another kiss. She ran her tongue along his lips, then drew his lower lip into her mouth, sucking it gently, eliciting a groan from low in his chest. In response, his own hand slipped into her hair, holding her in place as he kissed her deeply, his tongue stroking against hers in a frenzied rhythm. As his mouth moved to her throat, Mia tilted her head back and sighed. She'd forgotten just how heavenly delicious this was.

Her fingers released his hair and moved to his bicep, gripping it tightly to anchor herself as her head began to spin. His lips seemed to be everywhere at once, nipping, tasting, teasing, the results of which made her dizzy and lightheaded. One large hand palmed her breast, fingers stroking the nipple into erectness and she arched deeper into his hand as his lips moved yet again to her mouth. He held her to him, his grip firm in her hair as his free hand disappeared under the water, slipping again between her thighs. She whimpered and squirmed in his embrace as long fingers caressed her, teased her, then slid inside her, fueling the urgency of her need.

"Stu...please..." she moaned softly, finally wrenching her lips free from his, her nails digging sharply into the skin of his arm.

He chuckled, nuzzling her neck again.

"So we're begging now, are we?"

"Yes...please." she pleaded breathlessly as his fingers continued their sweet torment.

"Very well. Come here love." he ordered, pulling her closer and Mia quickly scrambled to her knees, water sloshing from the tub as she placed her hands on his chest, pressing him back against the side of the tub as she straddled him.

"Ever the impatient one..." he growled, his voice trailing off in a groan as she wrapped her hand around his hardness and lowered herself down onto him.

Her head thrown back, she gripped his shoulders tightly, bracing herself as she began to move. She kept the movements slow and steady, the water licking at their entwined bodies in gentle waves. Hands kneaded her bottom before slipping around her back, pulling her closer and he dipped his head to suck one taunt nipple into his mouth. Mia closed her eyes, savoring the moment. He was in her, around her, ethereal sensations transporting her to a whole other place, where there were no threats. No danger. Only a fierce hunger that she was desperate to quench.

The tension building, she attempted to increase the tempo, but strong hands gripped her hips firmly, holding her in place as he took over control. Bracing himself against the side of the tub, he snapped his hips up sharply, driving them both toward the distraction he'd so stealthily planned.

"Stu...please..." she repeated with a whimper, the tension building quickly, her breath harsh and frantic and she moved with him. Leaning forward, she buried her face into the crook of his neck, her hands clutching frantically at his shoulders as she tried to brace herself for the wave of pleasure that was threatening to consume her.

"God...Mia..." he growled, as he felt her tighten around him, her body finally giving in the ecstasy and he came with her, all of the tension from the past few days dissolving under the wave of euphoria that overtook him.

As the intensity faded, he reclined back against the tub in exhaustion, pulling Mia closer so she rested against his chest. Running his hand soothingly up and down her back, he kissed the top of her head, smiling when he felt her arms slip around his waist, returning his embrace.

_Mission accomplished_, he thought with a grin. _Distraction complete_. He closed his eyes, savoring the rare moment of tranquility between them.

Still stretched out on top of him, Mia was overcome with emotion, and she hugged him tightly, burying her face into his chest to hide her tears as fear ensnared her its cold, cruel grip. She felt so undeserving of this man, with his strength and his passion and his chivalrous ways. He deserved better. Better than all the trouble and inconvenience she'd caused. Better than the weakness and foolishness she'd portrayed before him up to this point. Her vulnerability was the reason for the precarious position that they now found himself in and guilt washed over her, the shame and disgust overwhelming her.

_This is his job. I'm sure he's faced more dangerous situations than this_, she reminded herself, the thought not as welcoming as she had hoped.

_He'll do it! He'll sacrifice himself for me and there won't be a thing I can do to stop him!_

The warning flashed through her head like a neon sign, lighting up the darkest recesses of her mind, fueling her greatest fears with a blaze of panic.

_I can't let him do this! I have to stop him! But...how?_

The answer presented itself immediately, with a force so fierce and sudden, it nearly jolted her from his arms. It was so simple. She wouldn't wait for Punk to come to them. She'd go to him instead. She'd find some way to lure him out into the open and, more importantly, away from Stu. It was a dangerous plan, but she was willing to accept the risk, with the hopes that the outcome would ultimately be worth it.

The only obstacle she could foresee would be finding the perfect opportunity to slip away from Stu. With her under his constant vigil, she knew she was going to need help if her plan was to succeed.

And she knew just the person she needed to call.

John.


	26. Chapter 26

**I know it's been awhile since I've updated any of my wrestling fics. I just needed to take some time off to work on a few other things. So sorry for the delay. But now, let me see if I can't get a couple of these ongoing stories finally finished! :)**

**xxx**

**Chapter 26**

In the early dawn of morning, the silence of the room was oppressive, the old cabin unusually quiet with foreboding stillness in the face of the impending storm. Settled under the warm blankets that covered the bed, the only sound Mia could hear was Stu's steady breathing as he lay asleep beside her, every heartbeat ticking off the seconds, reminding her that their time together was quickly coming to an end.

She had tried to rest herself, but sleep had evaded her, her brain thrust into overdrive as she tried to bring some semblance of organization to the jumble of thoughts and ideas that swarmed through her mind. It was a stark realization that time was not on her side. If she had any hope to be successful in her attempt to protect Stu, then swiftness would be of the utmost necessity. She'd had only a few short hours to put together even the barest outline of a plan, but it was the best she could do with what she'd been given. She just hoped that she could be resourceful enough to figure out the rest of the details along the way. There was no doubt that it would be risky. But, right now, she couldn't see that she had any other option.

The most difficult part of all would be trying to maintain a calm exterior, to put on a brave face for Stu whenever he was nearby. From what she'd seen so far, he seemed to be very proficient at reading people, especially her. And if she slipped up even the slightest bit, there was no doubt he'd pick up on it in an instant. The art of deception was new to her, but she was going to have to become an expert very quickly, if she expected things to proceed without a hitch.

Beside her, Stu stirred, then rolled to his side as his eyes opened, instantly seeking out her own. Likewise, Mia turned to face him, offering him a smile as her fingers traced across his forehead to brush away a wayward piece of hair. He was always so particular about his appearance and the sight of him in such a natural state, hair slightly unkempt and his handsome features still marred by traces of sleep, endeared him to her even more. It graced him with a boyish charm, one that she found nearly impossible to resist.

"You're awake early." he mumbled, peeking around her to glance at the clock on the table. Although he was used to such early morning hours, he was quite aware of her preference for sleeping in.

"I couldn't sleep." Mia sighed, truthfully.

Slipping an arm beneath her, he pulled her closer so her head rested on his chest. "Stop worrying. Everything is going to be fine, I promise." he stated softly, his arm tightening about her shoulders as he spoke.

Mia returned his embrace, gripping his waist as she struggled to rein in her emotions. How she would miss this once she was gone! But if it kept him out of harm's way, then it was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

Enjoying the quiet closeness, they relaxed together for a while, their actions void of any urgency, despite the circumstances. At this point, there wasn't much left for either of them to except to wait.

Finally, Stu stretched lazily. "I need a shower." he groaned, as he glanced down at her. "You care to join me?"

Mia smiled, as she ran her hand along the faint scruff on his jaw. "I think I'll stay right here for now. I'm good and comfortable. And I feel like maybe I could finally get some sleep."

He issued a small hum of disappointment. "That's a shame." he stated thoughtfully, his hand trailing lower down her back in a teasing motion. "But, you really should get some rest. I'll try not to wake you." He kissed her forehead as he slipped his arm from underneath her.

Mia couldn't help but admire the view of his toned body as he crossed the room toward the bathroom door. She breathed deeply as he disappeared inside, her own body tense as she waited to hear the sound of the shower being turned on. Once she was certain the coast was clear, she tossed back the covers and jumped from the bed, heading straight to the closet where she hoped Stu had stored his bag.

Thankfully, it was right where she thought it would be, and she quickly rummaged through the pockets, until she found her cell phone and battery. Making sure everything was put back just the way she'd found it, she scrambled to her room, her fingers fumbling nervously as she tried to reinsert the battery into the back of the phone. Finally getting the pieces reassembled, she pressed the power button, only to be rewarded with a steady black screen. She pushed it again, with the same results, finally coming to the understanding that the battery was dead. Cursing her luck, she frantically pawed through her own bag, fishing out the phone charger as she glanced about the room for an inconspicuously placed electrical outlet. Spotting the lamp beside the bed, she grabbed the edge of the table and pulled it away from the wall, then plugged the phone into the hidden outlet. Pressing the power button again, she tapped her fingers nervously as she waited for it to boot up, which seemed to take forever. As the screen finally lit up, she was instantly alerted to the fact that she had several missed phone and text messages, mostly from John, she assumed. But, right now, she didn't have the time to review any of them. Quickly, she switched the phone to silent, and tucked it beneath the table, before sliding the furniture back into place, hiding it from view. Then, rushing back to Stu's room, she jumped into the bed and tried to pull herself together before he emerged from the bathroom and found her in such a breathless panic.

Even as she got settled under the covers again, she heard the water shut off, and she breathed a sigh of relief that she'd made it back before he'd found her missing. If he got suspicious and started snooping around, her plan would be grounded before she even got it underway.

Feigning sleep as he reentered the bedroom, she spied on him through one barely open eye as he dressed. True to his word, he didn't attempt to "wake' her, moving soundlessly about the room, giving it a quick observation before he disappeared toward the main part of the house.

With him gone, Mia sighed with relief, finally giving herself permission to relax. So far, so good. She'd give her phone sufficient time to charge and, in the meantime, try to gather everything else she might need without being noticed. Then, all that would be left to do was to find someway to avoid Stu's scrutiny long enough to make her call to John. How she would ever manage that, she didn't know. But with not much else to do, at least she had plenty of time to figure it out.

**xxxxx**

Stu watched as Mia paced around the living room for what had to have been the thousandth time that day, the result of a combination of fear, restlessness and boredom, he imagined. Something about her seemed to be off, although she was trying hard not to show it, but he assumed that the same amount of stress and lack of sleep would have an identical effect on just about everyone.

In fact, he was starting to grow quite restless himself. Being cooped up, with such limited freedom, for an extended period of time, wasn't something he'd ever gotten used to. In all honesty, this wasn't supposed to be part of his job. He was a doer. A go-getter. Not a waiter. And he imagined that the personal nature of the situation only made it that much harder to endure. There was so much more at stake here. Mia wasn't just another nameless, thankless individual that he'd been hired to spy on or protect. She was someone he knew. Someone he admired. Someone that he'd been watching from afar since the moment he'd first arrived on the scene.

He had jumped right into this particular job with both a purpose and a plan. And neither of those had involved falling for a woman he barely knew. He'd been taken aback at the fact she'd caught his eye so easily, offering a distraction that was both unneeded and unwelcome. But then again, nothing about this job had been normal. From his unusual and specialized training, to the vast amount of historical data he'd been required to learn, he'd had no idea what to expect when he'd finally stepped inside his first arena. It was such an odd profession. Such odd circumstances. It had intrigued him from the very beginning.

As time had passed, he'd found that he had rather enjoyed the work. The physical demands kept him fit and allowed him plenty of opportunities to blow off some steam. And the mental challenges kept him sharp and alive. He had begun to blend in with his numerous co-workers, getting to know a few of them on a more personal level, although he did not connect pleasantly with everyone. As with any job, there were people that you liked, and others you didn't. And John was one person he didn't.

He'd told himself, time and time again, that his reasons had nothing to do with Mia. That it was strictly due to John's attitude. His arrogance. The smug smirk of superiority he'd given him the first time they'd ever met. It was an accumulation of all of those things, not the fact that he had Mia wrapped so tightly around his finger that everyone could see it. Not the fact that he didn't have an ounce of class and that he didn't deserve to share the spotlight with someone of her caliber. Not the fact that John had everything that he'd suddenly found himself wanting for his own – the success, the fame and the girl.

Frustrated, he'd finally reached the breaking point, although he would be the first to admit that his actions had been foolish. He'd been warned, more than once, to keep a low profile. Keep his mouth closed and his ears open and to just go with the flow, in order to acquire the information he needed. But his pride had not allowed for such passive inactivity. He didn't believe in mediocrity. If he was going to do anything, then he would do it to no less than the best of his ability. Calling out the top man of the company was anything but low profile, but it was a bold move for sure. And not only had he managed to knock John off his perch and take him down a few pegs, he'd also managed to attract the attention of the one person who mattered the most. He'd made sure that Mia wouldn't be forgetting the name Wade Barrett anytime soon.

Unfortunately, she wouldn't be forgetting the name CM Punk either. For the hundredth time, Stu cursed himself for his foolishness. He'd gotten careless. And cocky. And no matter how he looked at it, his distraction had given Punk an opening that he should not have been allowed to have. He had prayed to every deity he could name that she hadn't been injured or worse from the attack. But he'd made himself a promise at that moment, that he wouldn't let his guard down again. He would not give Punk a second opportunity. This time, he would be the one to strike first.

He glanced at Mia again as she approached the couch and flopped down beside of him, taking the remote from his hand. He gave it up without a fight as he draped an arm about her shoulders, pulling her closer toward him. She rested her head against his shoulder, as she flipped casually through the channels, finally settling on a rerun of an old cooking show. She slid an arm about his waist and snuggled closer, and he let his head fall back to rest on the couch as his fingers traced absentminded patterns across her back, the television show already ignored.

He would not fail again. There would be no mercy and no remorse. This would be one fight he would win, if it was the last thing he ever did. And God help anyone who was foolish enough to get in his way.

**xxxxxxx**

"Well?" Mia stared at Stu impatiently as he ended the phone call.

"Still no sign of him." he offered, running his hand down the side of his face in annoyance.

"Well, that's kind of a good thing, isn't it?" she inquired. "If he was headed this way, they would have spotted him by now, right?"

He smiled faintly. "I'm sure they would." he agreed, although she could tell by his tone that he was just trying to appease her.

He crossed the room, rechecking the locks on the doors and the windows before returning to her. He took her hand and tugged her in the direction of the hallway. "Come on. It's getting late. We should both try to get some sleep."

He led her down the hall, toward the room they now shared and Mia glanced impatiently at her former bedroom as they passed it by, where she knew her phone awaited. Throughout the day, she'd been able to finalize her plans and now that she had a clear course of action, she was eager to get it underway. Her only challenge now would be to outlast Stu for the night. If she could make sure he fell asleep first, she'd finally have the opportunity she needed to make her call.

Following her into their bedroom, he shut the door behind them, locking it for extra measure. Then he turned in her direction.

"So." He flashed her one of his charming smiles as he reached for her hand and pulled her closer, and it left no doubt in Mia's mind what he had planned.

"I bet you could use a nice….long…relaxing….bath." he stated, punctuating each word with a slow, sensuous kiss.

Mia sighed in delight, leaning into him. Despite all of her concerns, she couldn't deny she found the idea appealing.

"Sounds nice. And what will you do in the meantime?" she teased.

"You mean I'm not invited?" he inquired innocently, feigning hurt.

Mia smiled. "Well, you were the one who said 'relaxing'."

He chuckled lowly as he guided in the direction of the bathroom. "Oh, I promise you love, it will be."

**xxxxx**

Stretched out on the bed in the darkened room, Mia did her best to fight off sleep, as she listened for signs of Stu's own steady slumber. As he'd promised, they'd shared a relaxing, very pleasurable bath, which had left her more exhausted than she would have preferred. But, he'd been still for a long while, his breathing deep and steady, and she supposed if she was really going to go through with her plan, then now was the time.

Moving slowy, she extracted herself from the bed, pausing every few moments for any sign that she had disturbed him. Tiptoeing across the room, she carefully unlocked and opened the door, slipping through the smallest crack possible, before drawing it almost closed behind her. Moving stealthily toward her room in the dark, she pulled the table aside and felt for her phone, relief washing over her when her hand closed around its cool, smooth surface.

She glanced at the time, wondering if John would still be awake. Perhaps it would best if he wasn't. Then the call would roll directly to voicemail and she wouldn't be delayed by his questions and concern. She hesitated before pushing the call button, once again reviewing everything she needed to say. She had to get this right the first time. There wasn't a chance for her to mess this up. Finally pushing the button, she was both surprised and relieved when she was sent directly to the voicemail, just as she had hoped.

"John? It's Mia. I'm sorry I haven't been in touch but I just haven't had the chance. I know you've been worried about me. I'm ok. But I need your help..."

Quickly, she rattled off the name of the town where her and Stu had shopped a few days earlier, asking him to get there as soon as he could, and to wait for her next call. She told him she would be back in touch with him later, with more details.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she disconnected the call, then switched off the phone, as an extra precaution. There was no need to take any unnecessary risks. Placing the phone on the floor, she pushed the table back against the wall without difficulty. Now all she he had to do was get back into bed without waking Stu.

Rushing toward the door, she rounded the corner, nearly falling to the ground when she collided with something solid. She gasped as a steely hand closed around her wrist to steady her.

"What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" a voice demanded, the sudden, blinding ray of a flashlight leaving Mia to stare up into Stu's angry face, as she felt all of the color drain from her own.


End file.
